


The Shinobi Alchemist

by Hexalys



Series: Orange Kicks Ass [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Naruto
Genre: Devil's Nest Family, Gen, Naruto The Alchemist, Too many feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-21 15:17:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 36,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1554959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexalys/pseuds/Hexalys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A ninja seeking revenge on the Kyuubi summons the Gate, unintentionally sending eight year old Naruto into the realm of Alchemy. There he meets friends and foes alike as he searches for the Philosopher Stone in order to get back home. But when Naruto realizes he's surrounded by the few precious people he's always wanted, will he even want to go back? Covers Pre-FMAB/FMAB/Post-FMAB</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Gate of Truth

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Naruto nor Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I know this question will be asked constantly, I’ll answer it now: Pairings will be cannon in this story. Don’t bother asking about who Naruto will be paired with. There is no slash. Romance has never been the center point in either animes, so I will not be doing it here. As for the terminology, I’ll be using a few Japanese words throughout the story because of where Naruto is from. The translations will be at the end of the chapter and in italics. 
> 
> That said, please enjoy the story!

To say that Naruto was confused would be a grave understatement at the moment.

He didn’t know how it had happened or why, but the eight year old academy student found himself standing before a giant floating gate. It was made of stone and the carvings that were etched into its’ front looked like scribbles to him. Naruto eyed it nervously, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He felt as if something inside his stomach was moving in response, screaming at him to stay away from the ominous and massive thing.

Naruto nervously turned away from the gate, looking for the Shinobi who had been in front of him not even a few seconds ago. The Shinobi had broken into his apartment, cursing him and saying he’d have his revenge. Revenge for what? Naruto had no idea. The Shinobi had tied him down before he could run away or call for help and had bitten his thumb before doing some hand seals Naruto could remember learning in class. The Shinobi had shouted something about summoning “judgment” and then everything faded away into white. The next thing Naruto knew, he was standing in front of the weird gate.

He was about to open his mouth, to yell and ask if anybody was there, when his instincts suddenly went crazy, demanding that he turn around. Following his instincts, since they had never let him down before, Naruto turned to come face to face with a… kid?

_It was a pure white, nearly formless being almost indistinguishable from the rest of the endless white expanse which surrounded the Gate, but for a shadowy outline._

A shadow that’s what it reminded Naruto of; only it was white instead of black. In class, he had been taught that a shadow could either be a shinobi’s greatest ally or deadliest enemy. It could shield him from his foes or hide his attackers, and at the moment, Naruto didn’t think that this shadow was his friend. It seemed to be the same size as him, but it was hard for him to tell since it was sitting down in front of the gate.

“ **Well hello there little Jinchuuriki, it’s not often that a person from this side of the Gate summons me, let alone for such a dark purpose.** ” The white shadow said before it gave a smile that was too large to belong on its’ face. Naruto shivered at the unnatural dual voice the creature spoke with, somehow able to sound like a child, woman, and man all at once. “ **Two Taboos activated at the same time, one half doing it for reclamation and the other half for revenge.** ”

“W-what are you, s-shadow?” Naruto asked, not even trying to hide how scared he was like he usually did. The Shinobi who had attacked only moments ago was not the first person to ever try to hurt him. He had been attacked by villagers and shinobi before, but then those special shinobi in the white masks had always shown up before anything really bad could happen to him. But Naruto knew, he _knew_ , no one would find him here. No one was coming to save him and that thing just kept smiling at him, like it knew something horrible that he didn’t.

“ **Oho, I’m so glad you asked! I am called by many names. I am the World. I am Universe. I am God. I am Truth. I am All. I am One and I am also You**. **Now it would seem I have another name to add to my many titles, I am Shadow.** ” The thing threw its hands up into the air as a mockery of merriment. Naruto took a shaky step backwards, startled by what the creature had said.

“G-god? _You mean I’m dead!?_ ” He shouted back, horrified. He didn’t remember the Shinobi killing him, but if he was in front of God, what else could it be? The young boy crouched down suddenly and wrapped his hands around his knees, burying his face and trying his hardest not to cry. He had promised himself a year ago that he wasn’t going to cry anymore.

“ **Dead? No, you are simply in God’s domain little Jinchuuriki.** ”Naruto’s head shot up at that, hope building in his small chest. “ **The man who summoned the Gate wished for vengeance. He was a fool and had not understood what the Gate truly is, but he has already paid his Toll and what he desires has already been set into motion.** ” For a second Naruto thought that – _God, Shadow, Truth_ – looked sad, even with that wide smile still plastered on his face. “ **You are fortunate that he had unknowingly paid for your Toll as well child.** ” As the Truth said this, Naruto heard the Gate behind him open and he turned to see small shadow-like hands shoot out towards him. His gaze however, could only focus on one thing in that moment.

It was an eye, larger and more terrifying than Naruto had ever seen, and it stared down at him, seemingly damning him with its gaze. It, oddly, had several rings around its pupil and was colored a dark grey. Naruto tried to move, to get away, but the shadowy hands wrapped themselves around him too quickly and no matter how much he struggled they wouldn’t let go. He cried out for the Shadow to help, for surely God wouldn’t let this darkness take him.

Truth shook its head slowly, its grin disappearing as the shadows dragged Naruto deeper into the darkness.

“ **The fault does not lie with me, little.** **Jinchuuriki, but with the one who brought you to this realm. The only kindness I can offer you is that the man has paid the Ultimate Toll.** ” It smiled. “ **I wonder though, if I will see you again.** ” And then the Gate closed, blocking the Shadow and the light from Naruto’s wide cerulean eyes.

For a second all he could see was darkness and he thought for sure that he’d been sent to Hell, that God had hated him just as much as the villagers of Konoha. Then suddenly, he was being hurled through a tunnel of twisting images and information. It only took a second for Naruto to understand that the projections were going straight into his head, making him learn things he’d never heard of or even imagined.

_Alchemy, Transmutation Circles, Equivalent Exchange_

The words were nothing to him at first and then he suddenly understood what it all really _meant_ , but the information just kept coming and it was too much. More facts poured in, but this time it was about a language he’d never heard of before called Amestrian. He learned about sciences, automobiles, telephones, and other machines that he’d never known about and it was too much.

_Amestris, Ishval, the Civil War_

He learned about Amestris, of its profits, cities, and history. The images and knowledge passed in a blur, moving on to the teachings of Ishvala, the Old Ishvalan language, and the war that had claimed so many lives on both sides. There was so much blood, too many corpses, and it was too much! His head felt like it was going to explode!

“Please God, Shadow and Truth, make it stop! _It’s too much…_ _IT’S TOO MUCH!_ ” Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs, willing to do anything to make it all stop!

And then it did.

He stood outside the Gate once more, hands reaching out for someone, _anyone_ , to pull him out of that damn darkness. He was panting and sweating, and every muscle begged for him to just collapse. But he couldn’t, not while he was still near the Gate.

Shaken as he was, it took Naruto a moment to realize that he was no longer alone. God was there, but so was someone else, a boy with gold hair and golden eyes. He noticed, with a numb sort of horror that the boy’s left leg was missing. Before he could say anything, the white scenery started to fade to black and the boy was shouting for him to wait, but he couldn’t. Naruto welcomed his decent into obliviousness, glad to be taken away from this horrible place.

It was all just too much…

* * *

When Naruto next awoke, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed, wearing pajamas that definitely weren’t his, and was greeted by the sunlight shining through an open window. He rubbed his still too tired eyes, trying to figure out where he was. It all came back to him in a flash.

The Shinobi who’d tried to kill him, the Gate and the Shadow. He forced himself not to dwell on those memories. Instead he focused on the information he’d received and Naruto was glad, so very glad that the pain had receded, that he no longer felt like his head was going to burst. It was startling, how much he knew. Chemicals, engineering, and history, all the information was there, just waiting to be used. And he wanted to. Naruto wanted to use Alchemy so badly, but he had to think first.

It was so… odd. He was smarter, much smarter than he’d been before. He knew, before the Gate, he would have been screaming for answers at this moment. Trying out Alchemy or anything else that he’d gained from the Gate without so much as a second thought. Yet now he _wanted_ to think, Alchemy could wait, the situation really couldn’t. Maturity, so that’s what it felt like. Huh, Jiji would be proud. ‘ _Okay, first things first, what the hell happened to me?_ ’

He could remember what happened before the Gate, a shinobi had broken into his home to assassinate him. He’d been an older man, not Jiji-old, but definitely older then Iruka-sensei at least. The Shinobi had been hysterical, yelling and blaming Naruto for the death of his daughter, his son-in-law, and unborn grandchild.

“ _Damn fox!_ ” That was what the shinobi had called Naruto just before spitting in his face.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the first time he’d been called a fox. It was an insult that Naruto had never really understood before. Now he could easily see the link. There had only been one fox that had ever wronged Konoha, the Nine Tailed Fox. Why those few villagers had called him that, Naruto still had no idea, but at least he now knew who they’d been comparing him to.

The Kyuubi, a true monster and the most hated enemy Konoha ever had.

After the Shinobi had said his fill, and had directed a few kicks at Naruto’s unprotected stomach, the man had said that he needed to suffer. That judgment for his sins had finally come. The Shinobi had then bitten his thumb hard enough to draw blood and performed a jutsu. The next thing Naruto knew, he was in front of the Gate, standing in God’s domain.

“ ** _I am the World. I am Universe. I am God. I am Truth. I am All. I am One and I am also You._** ” The memory of the Truth seemed to play out under Naruto’s eyelids, its’ unnatural voice echoing in his head and causing a shiver to run down his spine. ‘ _Taboo, the Truth had said that the Shinobi made a Taboo as well as someone else on the other side of the Gate._ ’ Naruto understood how a Taboo was committed through Alchemy now, Human Transmutation, but he didn’t understand how the Shinobi had managed to commit a Taboo. Alchemy didn’t exist in their world–

Naruto suddenly gripped his head in dread.

‘ _Oh God, please no!_ ’ He was on the other side of the Gate, in another world completely! How it was possible, again Naruto had no idea, but it was a fact he couldn’t refuse. Jiji, his home, his dream to become Hokage, it was all gone! Naruto closed his eyes to hold back the tears he’d promised he would no longer shed. ‘ _I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry!_ ’

“ ** _Two Taboos activated at the same time, one half doing it for reclamation and the other half for revenge._** ”

Naruto’s eyes shot open in comprehension. It was possible to open the Gate again; the Truth had even told him that it had been opened on this side! But what about the Toll the Truth had mentioned? The Shinobi had to pay the Ultimate Toll to send him into this world. What did that even mean? There was no point in summoning the Gate to go home if it would just cost him his life in the end. Naruto sighed dejectedly. He needed to think, he needed a plan, but more importantly… he really needed to eat something.

At that moment his stomach let out a loud gurgle, seemingly agreeing with his thoughts. Just as Naruto was about to get up, a knock sounded from the closed door and he was in back a panic once more. ‘ _Kuso, of course there would be someone here! I’m sleeping in their bed._ ’ Naruto froze, unsure of what to do. He’d never been all that good with people, despite how he acted. Smiling and being loud, it was his way of trying to get people to pay attention to him and it seemed to work, to a point. The attention he usually got just wasn’t the positive kind.

But adults, Naruto was always wary around adults and there was no Jiji or masked shinobi to help him here. ‘ _It also means that there’s no one to point out that I should be hated._ ’ The villagers had always made sure that travelers knew to stay away from the child named Naruto Uzumaki. Another knock on the door interrupted the young boy’s thoughts. He took a deep breath and shot one last glance at the bedside window that could be used as his emergency escape route should things turn sour.

“Come in.” His voice was softer than his usual tone and his throat felt dry and itchy. Dehydrated, his new knowledge provided, startling him a little. Naruto inwardly smirked. ‘ _So this is what it feels like to be a know-it-all. No wonder Sasuke-teme always acted so smug._ ’

The door slowly opened to reveal a pretty lady wearing a long white dress, black leggings, and an odd looking pair of sandals. Her hair was black, but styled in a way Naruto had never seen before and he spotted a grey tattoo on the left side of her collarbone. She gave him a warm smile and her dark eyes – well they were kind, gentle, and _nothing_ like the looks he’d received in Konoha. Only Jiji had ever smiled at him like that, like she was actually pleased to see him. It made him shift in the bed, feeling uncomfortable to receiving such a look from a stranger.

“I see you’re finally up young man, you’ve been asleep for about two days. One of the children found you collapsed alongside the road leading into town. I’m Izumi Curtis.” The lady said politely as she set down a tray of food in front of Naruto that he hadn’t noticed her carrying before. “I hope you don’t mind foreign food. My husband and I run a butcher shop, but eating plain meat all the time gets a little dull.”

Naruto stared down in awe at the bowl in front of him, instantly recognizing the dish as his beloved ramen. The noodles looked thick and the broth was still steaming, but it was the meat that grabbed his attention. There was pork, chicken, beef and who knew what else. He looked up at the woman with stars in his eyes, for in that moment, Izumi-baa-chan was a goddess in his opinion. Her look turned from surprised to happy in a span of moments and she gestured for him to dig in. Pfft, like he needed the extra incentive.

“Itadakimasu!” Naruto cried happily before he dug into the meal with vigor. He paused only for a second to tell Izumi-baa-chan that the food was delicious. From the corner of his eye, he watched as she smiled warmly at him and Naruto tried not to choke. No one besides Jiji and Oji-san at Ichiraku Ramen looked at him like that, like he wasn’t something horrible. Naruto sighed happily as he finished his meal, surprised to find himself half-way full. Usually it took four bowls of Miso to fill him up, but then again there wasn’t any meat in that particular dish. He turned to Izumi-baa-chan and bowed his head as he thanked her.

“Thanks lady, the food was delicious and thanks for giving me a place to sleep while I was out of it. Not a lot of people would do that–” Naruto cut himself off before he could finish the rest of his sentence. ‘ _Not a lot of people would do that **for me**._ ’

“It was no trouble at all. The people here in Dublith are a lot nicer than most give them credit for. I’m not sure how things are done anywhere else, but here we help others when we can, especially Alchemists like myself.” Izumi-baa-chan said as she took away his now empty bowl.

“An Alchemist, you’re an Alchemist?” He asked eagerly, already figuring out where Dublith was due to the information supplied by the Gate. ‘ _A small town located in the center of the southern region of Amestris, and like most of the south, it boasts relatively high temperatures. Basically like Konoha, but with more of a dry heat._ ’

“Yes, though like I said, I work in my husband’s butcher shop. I’m really more of a housewife than anything else. Do you know any Alchemy…?” Izumi trailed off there, waiting for the young boy to give his name. She had been worried when the small blond had not woken up yesterday, but the doctor had said he was simply exhausted and needed rest. Inwardly, she mused over the fact that she seemed to be picking up too many blond strays recently. First Ed and Al and now–

“Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto.” The young blond said, his breathtakingly blue eyes shining brighter than before. They had been the first thing Izumi had noticed when she’d entered the room. Blue was the dominate eye color for Amestrians, but Naruto’s eyes shone brighter than any she had ever seen before and were almost as striking as the Elrics gold irises. “I know tons of Alchemy, though it wasn’t by choice.” Naruto continued softly as he looked out the window, his eyes dimming a little.

“Oh, did someone you care about demand that you learn?” Izumi asked lightly. She had seen it many times before, Alchemists who pushed their children to learn the science and become great. Some able to live peacefully with the fact that their child could not learn it, while others disowned their children outright, treating them as nothing more than failed experiments. It was how she’d met Mason.

“No it was– I had to learn, or else I would have died.” Naruto said just as quietly as before, continuing to stare out the window and not wanting to look at Izumi-baa-chan as he lied to her. He couldn’t tell her about the Truth or the Gate. It was a Taboo for a reason. He didn’t want to get into trouble because of what the Shinobi did. Besides, how did someone explain that they were from a different world without sounding crazy? Baa-chan blinked at him in surprise, obviously not expecting such a serious answer and he cursed himself for not thinking before speaking.

“How old are you Naruto? And where are your parents?” Something like concern filled her tone and Naruto let himself ease a little in response. ‘ _She’s not like the villagers._ ’

“I’m eight, but I’ll be nine in a couple of months. My parents are dead. I’m an orphan.” Naruto answered shortly, his thoughts turning towards the parents he’d never met. He’d often asked Jiji what had happened to them and who they were. The Hokage had never told him who they’d been, he claimed he didn’t know. There had been plenty of orphans left after the Kyuubi attacked and unfortunately Naruto had been born on that horrible day.

“So who’s been taking care of you?” Izumi asked, already feeling her heart go out to the small boy. She really was too damn soft for her own good. Orphans were not that uncommon in Amestris. After the Ishvalan Civil War had spread to the East, many civilian lives were affected.

“Well I lived on my own, but Jiji stopped by to check on me whenever he could. He’s really nice Izumi-baa-chan.” Naruto replied easily, only to end up gulping nervously as Izumi sent him a glare.

“ _Baa-chan?_ I’m sorry, but I think I must have misheard you. You want to try that again?” Izumi growled as she cracked her knuckles threateningly. It wasn’t unusual to hear others speak the languages of neighboring nations, even if Amestrian was obviously the dominate choice of speech. Her Xingese may be a little weak, but Izumi clearly remembered that _baa-chan_ meant something like granny or old lady. First Ed and Al, now Naruto? She wasn’t old damn it, she was only thirty-one!

“Uh, I don’t get it Izumi-baa-chan, d-did I say something wrong?” Naruto stuttered nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. Izumi-baa-chan was giving him the scariest look he’d ever seen and that counted the time he’d accidentally looked up Ayame-nee-chan’s dress. “Oh! Is this one of those showing proper respect things?” Naruto asked in sudden realization, before nodding his head in a sagely manner. Many people got mad when he called the Hokage, Jiji. “I do respect you Izumi-baa-chan and I also like you a lot too. You’re really nice and pretty.”  

Izumi paused at Naruto’s innocent sounding words. So he didn’t mean calling her old as an insult, but as a term of endearment? ‘ _What a strange kid._ ’ She turned to back to Naruto, ready to demand that he never call her that again, when she froze at the wide and pleased grin he was giving her.

“How can I say no to a face like that?” Izumi mumbled under her breath before shrugging her shoulders in defeat. It wouldn’t kill her to allow Naruto to call her baa-chan, at least in private. “Fine, whatever kid. What were you doing passed out on the road anyways?” She asked gruffly as she looked away from Naruto’s painfully cheerful expression. Just the sight of it made her cheeks ache in sympathy.

“I’m traveling to learn more about Alchemy.” He answered happily. Izumi nodded her head in understanding, having gone through her own quest for knowledge when she’d been younger as well, though she hadn’t been eight at the time, but rather eighteen instead. Izumi paused to think. Eight years old, Naruto was the same age Alphonse had been when she’d taken the Elric boys in as her students. She spared a moment to think about her two favorite pupils, Edward would be eleven now and Alphonse would be ten. How time flew…

“Ne, ne, Baa-chan, can you show me some of your Alchemy?” Naruto asked eagerly, interrupting Izumi from her thoughts. “I bet you know lots of things!”

“Show you my Alchemy? Are you asking to become my student, Naruto?” She asked dubiously, not sure whether she wanted to say yes or no at having another student. Despite her initial reservations, Izumi loved Ed and Al as if they were her own children. And she couldn’t deny that she’d grown fond of Naruto after watching over him for the past two days. The boy tilted his head in thought before shrugging.

“I don’t know how much you know. It wouldn’t make sense for me to be your student if I know more about Alchemy than you do Baa-chan.” He said truthfully and it made Izumi smile. She could tell that Naruto wasn’t trying to be arrogant, he simply didn’t know if his knowledge was lesser to hers. It was a rather logical outlook, if not a very naïve one.

“Hmm, good point Naruto. How about I give you a demonstration of what I can do and we’ll go from there, all right?” Izumi-baa-chan asked and Naruto nodded his head impatiently. He _knew_ Alchemy, but he’d never actually seen it in person.

He watched avidly as Izumi-baa-chan brought out a large orange t-shirt, worn blue shorts, and a pair of dirty blue sandals. Naruto instantly recognized them as his own clothes. She clapped her hands together and placed them on the pieces of fabric. Sparks of blue light shot out from his clothes and into the air, the tell-tale sign of a working transmutation, and as a result the materials shifted into something new. His bright orange, overly large t-shirt turned a few shades darker and shrunk down to his size. His blue shorts lengthened a little, the previous tears and stains replaced with a clean fabric, and his blue sandals, now looking brand new, had a stripe of orange added to them.

“Wow, transmutations without an array, but how’d you do it?” Naruto asked as he moved from the bed to the floor to touch his newly transformed clothes. He raised his hands up to his eyes in thought. He continued to mumble to himself before his eye lit up in understanding. “Oh, I see, your body acts as the Transmutation Circle itself! You become the matrix…” Taking a deep breath, Naruto clapped his hands together in preparation for his first act of Alchemy.

Izumi watched as the young boy explained what she had done, slightly amazed that he had figured something out that had taken Ed and Al nearly two months to understand, though like Naruto, they would never truly understand unless they saw the Truth for themselves. She was brought out of her thoughts as Naruto clapped his hands and placed them on the floor. Izumi closed her eyes and smirked slightly to herself, waiting for Naruto to throw a fit about how he couldn’t do it like Ed had done two years ago.

Instead, she heard the sound of a transmutation.

Izumi opened her eyes in shock as the floor boards twisted and raised up to form a wooden statue that vaguely reminded her of a leaf. She brought a trembling hand to her mouth as the other clutched her stomach in horror. Her sin, her baby, appeared in front of her wide eyes, and Izumi could taste blood in the back of her mouth. Her innards had been taken away when she had committed the Taboo, what did Naruto lose? How could a child, an eight year old boy, commit such a terrible feat?

_And why damn it?_

Naruto proudly looked up from the symbol of Konoha that he’d created and turned to Izumi-baa-chan, freezing in place when he saw how horrified she looked.

“Baa-chan, a-are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” He asked, afraid that he had already scared away the only person who had been as nice to him as Jiji. In the blink of an eye Naruto found himself embraced in Izumi-baa-chan’s arms. Shocked, he stared over her shoulder before slowly, fearfully, bringing his arms up to hug her back. He started shaking and he could feel the tears beginning to fall, but this was different. When he’d cried before, he’d done it because he was sad, but she was _hugging him_ and he had never been so happy before.

Naruto decided right then and there that it was okay to cry when you’re happy.

* * *

Naruto wasn’t sure how long he stood their being held by Izumi-baa-chan, but he was sure it had to have been more than an hour and he had no desire to let go. She was the first lady to ever hug him and it felt so warm. Jiji had hugged him before and Naruto cherished each one, but this was different.

For a brief second he imagined that this was what it felt like to be held by a mother. Eventually though, his tears stopped and Naruto regretfully pulled away from Izumi-baa-chan to look at her face. Her dark eyes were puffy and red; he guessed that his eyes looked very much the same.

“Why?” He murmured, unable to articulate exactly what he was asking. Why was she hugging him? What had caused this sudden emotional reaction? Did she cry because she was happy too? Somehow, looking at Izumi-baa-chan’s worn face, Naruto was sure happiness was not one of the emotions she was feeling at the moment.

“Because you’re only a child and yet you’ve been through so much.” Izumi said as she smiled sadly at the little boy she was kneeling in front of. Not even Ed and Al had been this bad off. They at least had each other and the Rockbell family to depend on. Naruto seemed to only have this old man. It was sad and so very cruel, yet that was the way of the world for some, for children like Edward, Alphonse, and Naruto. “Naruto, I need you to answer me honestly, can you do that?” She asked and the small boy nodded his head eagerly. “Have you ever seen the Truth?” Izumi got her answer immediately as she felt Naruto’s small shoulders stiffen under her hands. Slowly, the young blond nodded his head as he looked down at the floor, refusing to meet her gaze.

Izumi sighed as she studied the boy who had somehow fallen into her care. It couldn’t be a mere coincidence that he had crossed paths with her. Perhaps the Truth had taken pity on Naruto and led him to where it knew he would be safe.

“So have I.” Izumi admitted softly and Naruto’s head shot straight up, his wide cerulean eyes instantly finding hers. “For a while it seemed we were barren, my husband and I wanted a child but we couldn’t conceive. When we were finally able to conceive, I ended up falling gravely ill and our child as well. He was not able to take a living breath in this world and so, I committed the Taboo.” Izumi wrapped her right hand around her lower stomach. Sometimes late at night, after having a nightmare about that day, Izumi imagined that she could actually feel the hollow parts inside her body.

“As a result I lost part of my reproductive organs and the chance to have another child.” Izumi smirked sadly at herself. “What an idiot I was.” She continued bitterly as she closed her eyes to hold back the tears. She had long since mourned for the loss of her child and for what could have been. It was torturous, but not a day went by that she didn’t imagine the life she could have led had she not committed the Taboo.

Naruto looked up at Izumi-baa-chan with a mixture of admiration and sorrow. She had committed the ultimate taboo out of love for her child, to save them in the only way she knew how. She must have been willing to sacrifice anything to bring back her baby back. In the end, Baa-chan had failed to save her child and as punishment for committing the Taboo, she was denied the right to bring another life into this world.

And Naruto thought that was unforgivably cruel.

“I didn’t summon the Gate, another man did. I’d never met him before.” He mumbled before biting his lower lip. He shouldn’t be telling Izumi-baa-chan this, but she shared her story with him. Naruto wouldn’t feel right if he didn’t tell her something in return after she’d opened up to him, bringing up old wounds that still hurt. It was the first and most basic rule of Alchemy.

Equivalent Exchange

“It was for an experiment or something, I’m not sure.” ‘ _Lie_.’ That shinobi had obviously been aiming to kill him by sending him to the Gate. “All I know is that the Truth said the man had paid the Ultimate Toll to make it happen. Next thing I know, I’m waking up in your bed.” It wasn’t the whole truth, it wasn’t even close, but it was something he could share and that made all the difference to Naruto.

For the second time that day he was embraced by Izumi-baa-chan, but this hug didn’t feel the same. It felt sad and Naruto now knew why Baa-chan had been crying earlier. It was because she’d felt sorry for him. She was upset for his sake, for the trials he’d been put through, and that was something he had only ever experienced coming from Jiji after the villagers had been particularly awful. It was more than just sympathy though.

Baa-chan understood. She understood what had happened to him with the Gate, how scary everything had been, because she’d experienced the same.

Naruto had never met anyone who was able to understand him like this, someone who’d gone through the same pain that he had. It was in that moment, while he clung to her tightly, he decided to help Baa-chan in any way that he could, whenever he could. It was startling to find that she had become so important to him in just a few short moments, but it was a bond he cherished, even if it was born from their mutual suffering.

Deep down, he desperately wished that Izumi-baa-chan shared his sentiments.

* * *

“Alright Naruto, show me what you can do.” Izumi said sternly from the other side of her backyard. It was the same area where she had trained both Ed and Al in Alchemy and in hand-to-hand combat, which was what she was doing with Naruto now.

Once Naruto had told her how he had come to see the Gate, she had tried to get the boy to talk about lighter subjects, which was actually a lot harder than she’d originally thought. It turned out Naruto had never had the chance to know his parents. They’d been killed in battle of some kind when he’d been just an infant. Izumi suspected they had died in the Civil War. Naruto had never said so, but the skirmishes that had broken out in the East happened around the time he was born.

Naruto apparently had no friends, but he occasionally played with two boys called Shikamaru and Chouji. He has a crush on a girl named Sakura and even harbors a fierce rivalry with another boy named Sasuke. After twenty depressing minutes of listening to Naruto’s depressing past, Izumi had decided it was best to just stop asking questions.

Thankfully it didn’t take long before Naruto had excitedly asked to see her perform more Alchemy, which had given Izumi an idea. She was curious to see how far along Naruto was in the science. The Gate granted knowledge to those who passed through its doors and she wondered just how much information Naruto had received. In the end, she’d challenged him to a fight as a practical exam. Naruto had welcomed the challenge with an unusual amount of enthusiasm that Izumi was beginning to realize was how he normally behaved.

“Here I come, Baa-chan!” The boy shouted as he charged at Izumi and she hid a smile at his bullheaded approach. She often preferred head on attacks, believing that striking quickly meant for a swift end for her opponent. She’d had to beat this type of fighting style into the Elric boys for a month before it finally caught on, as both had a habit of thinking before acting. Naruto, it seemed, would not need that lesson.

She easily dodged the high kick Naruto had sent towards her stomach and swiftly blocked the following uppercut aimed at her nose. Izumi raised her eyebrows in surprise as she hadn’t been expecting for Naruto to have any martial arts training, even if his form was terribly sloppy and full of holes. She smiled slightly to herself, this she could definitely work with.

Naruto’s eyes widened as Izumi-baa-chan grabbed his sidekick with her left hand and tossed him over her shoulder, landing face first into the ground a few feet away. He grunted as he spat out a mouthful of dirt and quickly pushed himself to the side to avoid the stomping kick Baa-chan sent his way. Rolling into a crouch, Naruto took a second to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him. He had expected Baa-chan to be good, but she was kicking his ass without even trying. It reminded him of his spars with Sasuke-teme a little, except Izumi-baa-chan wasn’t acting like he was a waste of her time.  

Naruto was proud to say that he was one of the best in his class when it came to Taijutsu, losing only to Sasuke-teme and Kiba. Of course he’d never fought against the girls in his class, but Naruto was sure he wouldn’t have lost to any of them. Not because they were girls, Izumi-baa-chan proved that reasoning to be false, but because they never really took Taijutsu class seriously. They mostly spent their time fighting over Sasuke-teme.

The sound of clapping brought Naruto out of his thoughts and he felt the ground shift just before a fist made of stone shot up towards him. He clapped his own hands and slammed them into the ground to create a thick wall of earth. Both rock structures crumbled as they collided and he used the smoke and debris to cover up his second transmutation. He shifted the broken rubble into five kunai shaped weapons and launched three of them from the smoke at Izumi-baa-chan.

Izumi managed to avoid the strange knives Naruto had thrown at her more out of reflex than anything else. She grinned widely to herself; it had been a long time since she’d had a decent fight. The Elric boys had come to her without an ounce of training in self-defense and although they were prodigies in Alchemy, that talent did little to make up for their lack of skill in combat.

Before the cloud of dirt could disappear completely, Naruto launched towards her with his fist cocked back and ready to be let loose. Izumi, who had originally planned to catch his attack, jumped back at the last second to avoid getting hit. Naruto’s arm slammed into the ground, leaving a medium sized dent as rocks kicked up into the air from the force behind his strike.

“Chikusho, I almost had you.” He mumbled irritably as he pulled his arm out of the ground, revealing why his punch held such power. Earlier, while he’d still been hidden from view, Naruto must have made another transmutation. This time he had created a club like structure of stone surrounding his left arm.

Izumi blinked in surprise as she spotted the rock surrounding the young boy’s fist and forearm, impressed by his ingenuity. She knew of Alchemists who manipulated the materials around them to turn themselves into weapons, like the Iron Blood Alchemist, but she had never expected an eight year old boy to come up with the same idea and in the middle of a fight no less.

Izumi smirked though, as she spotted the fatal flaw in Naruto’s stone arm creation. His hand was completely covered, meaning the boy could not use his Alchemy without a transmutation circle as his matrix was disrupted. She charged at Naruto, attacking him with a downward roundhouse kick, only to frown as her heel came into contact with Naruto’s stone covered arm. Had she been a less experienced fighter, that block would have broken her ankle.

Naruto took his chance and threw one of his remaining kunai at Izumi-baa-chan and grunted in annoyance as she did a backhand-spring to avoid it. The sound of something cracking drew his attention to his arm and he gaped as the thick stone broke into several pieces before falling to the ground to reveal his bare, uninjured arm.

Baa-chan’s chuckle reclaimed his attention and he shot a victorious smirk her way before clapping his hands and smacking them into the ground. Naruto’s smirk became a full blown grin as the ground beneath Baa-chan dropped down seven feet into the surface. He ran over to look into the pitfall trap he’d transmuted and tumbled backwards in surprise as Izumi-baa-chan shot out of the hole on a rising rock pillar.

Jumping off of the now stationary structure, Izumi landed in front of a slack jawed Naruto as she casually brushed off some dirt that had accumulated onto her right shoulder. She saw the blonde quickly shake off his amazement, before getting back into a ready stance and she had to bite back a smile. The little knucklehead was really starting to grow on her.

“Well Naruto, what do you think? Would you like to study under me? Your Alchemy is good, especially for someone your age, but you’re fighting is only about average. If you want I can teach you my fighting style as well as advance Alchemy theories and techniques.” She offered as she used Alchemy to fix the battle damaged backyard. It wouldn’t do if Sig found out that she’d been fighting instead resting like she was supposed to.

Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. What he really wanted to do was find a way home and he knew that required extensive research. Plus, he liked Izumi-baa-chan and if she could teach him an awesome Taijutsu style that could help him kick Sasuke-teme’s ass, then who was he to turn her down? He would search for a way back home while he studied under her.

“Sure Izumi-baa-chan, I’ll stick around for a bit. Ne, ne, can you teach me how to break rocks with my feet like you did earlier Baa-chan? That was so cool! It didn’t even slow you down!” Naruto said as he brought out his last kunai that he hadn’t had the chance to use. He might as well as improve his other skills too, like using his ninja tools. Ninjutsu and Genjutsu were out of the question as he realized he had no idea how to do either of those techniques. He’d never paid much attention in class, besides learning a few hand seals. He couldn’t even remember how to properly preform a Henge; though he was pretty sure he only needed three different hand seals to make it work. The question was which ones?

Naruto figured that it didn’t really matter anyways. Once he got back to Konoha and performed Alchemy, Jiji would make him a shinobi without a second’s hesitation. Hell, Jiji would probably make him Hokage if he got good enough.

“Alright then Naruto, my first rule as your teacher is that you must now address me as such when in public, understood?” She asked, watching as Naruto fiddled with the strange knife he’d created.  

“Hai, Baa-chan-sensei!” Naruto replied cheerfully as he looked up at his new sensei, completely oblivious to the annoyed twitches in her left eye. His attention was quickly redirected towards the giant of a man who stepped out of Izumi-baa-chan’s house. Naruto had never seen anybody as big as the towering man in front of him, and that was including Chouji’s Otousan.

“Ah, there you are honey.” Ookii-san said as he wrapped his monstrous arms around Izumi-baa-chan, who blushed as the man whispered something into her ear that Naruto couldn’t hear.  

Izumi chuckled at her husband’s playfulness and turned to Naruto who staring up at Sig like he was the most impressive thing in the world. Again she chuckled as she marveled at how childlike Naruto could be one second and yet somehow be the complete opposite when he needed to.

“Naruto, this is my husband Sig Curtis. Sig this is Naruto Uzumaki, my newest student.” Izumi said warmly as she took in the two very different looking males. Sig raised his eyebrows at her, silently asking her for an explanation, and she shook her head response. Sig nodded his head, understanding that she would tell him later and turned his attention back to the boy.

“How’d you get to be so tall Ookii-san?” Naruto asked innocently as his wide eyes raked over the man in front of him. Izumi covered her laughter with a cough and Sig simply raised a brow at the foreign nickname. She would tell him what it meant later.

“I ate my vegetables.” Sig answered as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking very serious while doing so. Naruto’s forehead furrowed as he frowned in thought and seemed to be calculating just how many vegetables he would have to eat in order to reach her husband’s size.

“But I hate vegetables!” He shouted in dismay as he looked up at them both. Izumi hid a smile as she watched her husband bare down on Naruto, telling him how important vegetables were to his diet and growing body. The boy argued that there were plenty of other foods that could sublimate the nutrients his body needed, meaning he didn’t have to eat weeds. Naruto’s irrational loathing for vegetables reminded Izumi of another blond haired boy who hated milk just as much. She sighed to herself as she wondered how those two boys were doing. She hoped they hadn’t gotten themselves into any sort of trouble.

* * *

Edward Elric stared up at the ceiling listlessly.

They had failed, _he_ had failed. And it wasn’t like he’d just failed mom either, he’d failed Alphonse too. His little brother was now stuck in a suit of armor, probably for the rest of his life. Al would never be able to eat again, nor smell what existed in this world, and had forever lost the sensations that came from having skin. The warmth of the sun, the soft pelting rain, a summer’s cooling breeze, they were all lost to Al now.

Ed bit his tongue so hard that it bled, and he wasn’t sure if the action came from his injuries acting up again, or at thinking about what he’d done to his little brother.

He’d promised Pinako that he’d let her know when the pain medication started to wear off, but he made no move to call out to her or the others. Bitterly, Ed felt like he deserved this pain, it was his punishment given to him by _God_ after all. The ache of his injuries increased in a single burst and Ed gritted his teeth to keep from screaming, but a small moan still managed to escape his lips.

Ed held his breath as he waited for someone to come into the room to see if he needed anything. The others were constantly nearby as they were compelled to make sure that he was okay. He sighed in relief as no one came barging into his room to fuss over him.

His thoughts turned back to two nights ago, as they constantly had since he’d woken up from passing out due to blood loss. He tried not to think about mom’s ruined body or watching helplessly as Alphonse deteriorated into nothing, and instead focused on the goal itself. They had been so close, he knew it. The secret to Human Transmutation lay inside the Gate, but that was over now. Ed couldn’t bring himself to sacrifice what he had left just for the small chance that it might work next time. He loved mom, but he couldn’t risk losing Alphonse again.

‘ _Alphonse must hate me._ ’ He thought shamefully. Tears started to fill the corner of his eyes and this time he was sure that his physical pain hadn’t been the cause. ‘ _I will not cry, I promised myself I wouldn’t cry anymore at mom’s funeral! I have to be strong, for Al._ ’ Ed thought weakly and he bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling.

It’s not like his little brother didn’t have every right to hate him. It had been _his_ idea to bring mom back. _He_ was the one who’d brushed off Alphonse’s worries and used the blinding trust Al had in him to get his doubtful brother to fall in line. A sudden knock came at the door, drudging Ed out of his depressing thoughts.

“Come in.” His words were flat and strained, sounding like he hadn’t spoken for at least a month and the pain coming from his raw throat made him wince. The door opened a few inches to reveal the body of armor that now housed Alphonse’s soul. Edward took a dry swallow and lowered his eyes to his bandaged shoulder, unable to look at what he’d done to his little brother.

“Brother, do you want to get out of bed? Granny Pinako said you can use the wheelchair she has for her customers.” Al trailed off, his voice sounding so hurt and upset that Ed had to look up at his brother. Parts of the armor were shaking slightly and he had enough sense to guess that the action didn’t mean anything good.

“Sure… Al.” He said softly and Alphonse entered the room with the wheelchair. At some point during the transition of moving him to the wheelchair, he noticed Al’s shaking slowly stop. They moved into the living room and Den was quickly at Ed’s foot, sniffing at what was left of his leg. As Al gently shooed Den away, Ed couldn’t even find it in himself to care.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there staring at the floor, but his miserable trance was interrupted by someone barging into the house with Old Lady Pinako yelling after them. It was a man and woman, both dressed in military uniforms. The man was tall, with short black hair, and he searched the room wildly with fierce dark eyes. The woman had short blond hair and had a look on her face that was a mixture of confusion and worry. Ed let his eyes drift back to the floorboards as the man spun towards him. He could feel the man’s burning gaze, but he didn’t bother to look up.

The man’s thundering steps seemed to rattle through the metal frame of the wheelchair, yet even as he came closer, Ed still didn’t look up. The soldier’s presence exuded anger and _knowing_ , but Ed felt the apathy that had plagued him since he’d woken up take over once again. ‘ _Al’s already lost his body and I’m missing half of my limbs. What more can they do to us?_ ’

“We went to your house, we saw the floor. What was that?” The military man shouted, his arm shooting out to grab the front of Ed’s shirt, lifting him out of the wheelchair. There was too much pain in the sudden movement for Ed to even react. It was just paralyzing and his vision dimmed for a second before he was startled out of his shock by what the man said next. “What did you do!?”

This man already knew. Ed didn’t have to explain anything, and to hear the pointless accusatory questions from this stranger’s mouth just made everything worse. The walls Ed had built, his last defense against the tears, crumbled and he bowed his head to hide his face. His apathy and guilt gave way to staggering, unbearable, sadness and loss. The memories from that night seemed to play out in front of his wet eyes in a blur, almost moving too fast for him to see.

_Al was screaming for him, crying out for help as his body was forcibly deconstructed and Ed couldn’t reach because his leg was being taken too. The Gate stood before him and the Truth was smiling at him and then those shadow-like hands dragged him towards that giant glaring eye surrounded by darkness._

_The information, there was so much. Ed had never realized how little he knew until the knowledge was given to him._ _He was happy and anticipating, because he realized the answers to all of his questions were inside the Gate. Their approach had just been wrong, Human Transmutation was possible! Then he’d learned the truth and as per the rules of Equivalent Exchange, he lost his left leg for the information he’d gained._

_He came back to the world screaming for help, for mom, as he clutched his decapitated leg. He was looking at the center of the Transmutation Circle when he heard a groan and spotted a mangled, ugly body reaching out for him. And then it died, he’d killed mom, but Al was still gone and he needed to get his little brother back. He used his new knowledge to reopen the Gate, trading his arm for Al’s soul and trapped it inside an unfeeling shell of metal._

_Please Al, don’t look at mom. Don’t see what I did to her._

Ed was brought out of his horrible memories by Alphonse, who had grabbed the military man’s arm, pushing it down slightly so that he could sit in the wheelchair again. He heard the sound of Al’s armor shaking again and he bowed his head even further as he suddenly realized what the action meant.

“We’re sorry, we didn’t mean it. We’re sorry, we’re sorry.” Alphonse cried. The tears in his voice were easy for Ed to hear. How could he have done this to his little brother?

It was too much…

Eventually, once everyone had calmed down, the man introduced himself as Roy Mustang and asked for an explanation. Old Lady Pinako sat in with them as she and Al explained what had taken place two nights ago in the Elric household. Ed stayed silent and sunk even deeper into his depression, to the point that he now just felt numb.

“This is a surprise to say the least. I’d heard reports that there was a brilliant Alchemist living in this town so we came to check them out. The last thing I expected to find was a boy skilled enough to attempt Human Transmutation or advanced enough to bind a soul to a suit of armor. I’d say he’s more than qualified to become a State Alchemist.” Mustang said as he shot an impressed look at Ed that he tried to ignore.

“Should he choose to accept the position he’ll be required to serve the military in times of national emergency. In return, he’ll receive privileges and access to otherwise restricted research materials. Given time, he may be able to find a way to get their bodies back, or even more.” He heard Alphonse gasp quietly at that and Ed felt himself frown, distant ideas and hopes already starting to rise from the back of his mind.

“Right after he came stumbling to my door half dead and covered in blood, I went over to their house to see for myself what had happened. What was there… whatever that thing was, _it wasn’t human!_ ” Old Lady Pinako shouted and Ed could feel Al cringe slightly from behind him. “Alchemy created that abomination, it nearly killed them! Now you want to throw those boys headlong into it? Would you really have them go through that kind of hell again!?” Mustang remained silent for a moment before he stood up. He turned to look down at Ed, who tried to remain oblivious to everything around him.

“I’m not forcing you. I’m merely offering you the possibility. Will you sit in that chair, wallowing in self-pity, or will you standup and seize the chance the military can give you? If you believe the possibility exists for getting your bodies back you should seek it out, keep moving, whatever it takes, even if the way ahead – lies through a river of blood.”

Left alone, hours later, Ed would spend the entire night thinking about how he was going to make things right again, instead of thinking about how wrong things had turned out. He would get Automail, become a State Alchemist, and get Alphonse his body back.

No matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jiji is slang for old man. Baa-chan means granny. Chikusho means damn it. Ookii means big. As for Naruto calling Izumi-baa-chan-sensei, he won’t actually call her that, it’s too much of a mouthful. He’ll only ever call her Izumi-baa-chan, Baa-chan and Sensei. I understand that Shinobi and Ninjas are the same thing, (people who practice ninjutsu), but the word Ninja is used more by the western culture. If I switch between the two, know that there really isn’t any difference. 
> 
> Amestris is a nation based off of European culture. As such, it didn’t make much sense for them to speak Japanese. Thus I made their native language Amestrian, (which would be English to us). Of course other nations speak different dialects, meaning Xing speaks Xingese (Japanese), Creta speaks Cretan (French), Aerugo speaks Aerugish (Swedish), Drachma speaks Drachman (Russian), and Ishval speak Old Ishvalan (Romanian). Naruto is able to unconsciously use Amestrian because of the Gate, but his original dialect of Japanese/Xingese shows up when he’s excited or giving someone a nickname. 
> 
> If it wasn’t clear, Naruto just got sent into the Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood Universe at the time that Ed and Al tried to bring their mother back. Ed saw Naruto come through the Gate at the moment that he was sacrificing his arm for Al’s soul. Ed is eleven at this point, Al is ten and Naruto is eight, soon to be nine. 
> 
> The amount of knowledge Naruto gained from the Gate is staggering, giving him advanced knowledge on Alchemy and common information known in Amestris. As a side effect Naruto is smarter, but also more mature, to a certain point. He can think and act reasonably when he wants to, but he’s still going to act like a kid and an idiot at times. Because even though we all like to see Naruto kick ass, we also love his dumb, clueless moments too. 
> 
> –Hexalys


	2. The Devil's Nest

A small blond boy ran through the crowded streets of Dublith, the vendors and shoppers alike sent him warm greetings to which he smiled at and answered in kind. It had been horribly awkward at first for Naruto to get used to the nice hellos and warm welcomes given to him by the citizens of Dublith. If he pretended hard enough, he could almost imagine the same reactions coming from the villagers of Konoha. As such, it was only recently that he was able to return the friendliness without stuttering over his words, though he still tended to avoid people in general. Their openness was entirely out of his comfort zone and Naruto knew it would take him a while still to get used to it.

So he avoided them by traveling through the town as any true shinobi would, by roof.

It took him a little while to figure out that he needed to pump chakra through his legs to make it happen, but once he learned how, it was a simple matter of staying focused on what he wanted to do. Izumi-baa-chan however, had thrown a fit when she’d found out that he traveled by roof. She claimed that he would fall off one day and break his neck, and wouldn't that just be the most idiotic way to die? So Naruto only went roof hopping when someone was there to supervise him, that someone usually being Baa-chan.

Then again, what Baa-chan didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Or more specifically, what Baa-chan didn’t know wouldn’t hurt _him_. Just thinking about what his Sensei would do to him if she ever found out made Naruto shudder with fear.

In the three months that Naruto had been studying under Baa-chan, he'd come to understand a lot more about Alchemy. At first, she had wanted to start with the basics, but his short attention span soon reared its ugly head and they’d quickly moved onto the harder stuff. Naruto still found the lectures and study sessions boring, but Baa-chan ordered him to do it. And he’d quickly learned that not doing what she said made Izumi-baa-chan violent and really, really scary.

In his first month, Baa-chan had actually dropped him off on a seemingly abandoned island to fend for himself, telling him he could not use any Alchemy while there to help him survive. Having had to catch wild animals for food in the past, Naruto had no troubles with trapping and cooking his meals. He still usually stuck to eating fish though, only killing the little rabbits when he absolutely had to. Finding shelter was a little more difficult, but he’d eventually discovered an abandoned cave that he had made his own after the first week.

At first Naruto had thought his only company on Yock Island was the wildlife. He’d soon found out that he was wrong. A wild man, one wearing some sort of tribal mask, had attacked Naruto on his ninth night on the island. He had run away from the man the first time, easily losing him in the jungle-like environment by tree jumping. The second time he'd tried fighting the man off, which resulted in Naruto getting his ass kicked and making him doubt his fighting abilities.

When the man attacked a third time, which was much later in the month, Naruto had been training himself day in and day out. He fared much better in their rematch and had even managed to knock off the man's mask. Needless to say, Naruto had been pissed when he'd found out that it was only Mason. The older man had nervously explained that he'd been ordered to attack him by Izumi-baa-chan, as she believed that foraging for food and shelter was too easy a task.

While Naruto silently agreed with his Sensei, it didn't mean that he'd appreciated being chased and attacked at random. He had kicked Mason off the island, leaving the man to nurse a bruised face and to explain to Baa-chan why he was back so soon. His remaining stay on the island proved to be relaxing for Naruto, who'd even managed to make friends with a pair of foxes that had, strangely enough, taken a liking to him. Once Izumi-baa-chan showed up with Ookii-san, Naruto had been taken back to their Meat Shop and given a large bowl of some well-deserved ramen.

To the citizens of Dublith, he'd become a common sight as he'd somehow ended up becoming the delivery boy for all of the orders that the Meat Shop got. His speed and size let him travel through the city much faster than Mason could and the man was more than happy to let Naruto take his daily runs. Naruto didn't mind the job so much. It was sort of like training to him.

Every day he tried to beat his previous scores, running from one costumer to the next. Lately, he'd been using weights to make it more difficult. Baa-chan wouldn't let him go past forty pounds yet, he had ten pound weighted band on each limb, but Naruto could sometimes sneak some rocks into his backpack, adding a few more extra pounds.

Arriving back at the Meat Shop, Naruto tried to sneak past Ookii-san, hoping to avoid being sent out another delivery. As much as he liked helping the Curtis’s out, he’d much rather be doing some mock fighting in the backyard.

"Naruto, good you're back. I've got a delivery headed for the edge of town. It's for the Devil's Nest, got it?" Ookii-san said without even looking up from the meat he was currently cutting. Naruto sighed, not the slightest bit surprised that he'd been caught. Either he really needed to practice his stealth skills more, or Ookii-san had eyes on the back of his head. It was probably the former.

"Hai." He grabbed the packaged meat that was on the counter, sliding it into the orange backpack the man had bought him as a birthday present a month ago, and moved to leave the shop when he felt a large hand drop onto his shoulder. Naruto looked up at Ookii-san, wondering why the man had stopped him.

It hadn't taken him very long to warm up to the giant man. Sig Curtis didn't have much to say about anything, but there was just something about the usually silent man that Naruto liked. Maybe it was the way that Ookii-san had welcomed him into his home, or maybe how the man always snuck him some extra ramen when Baa-chan wasn't looking. Whatever the case, Naruto liked the large man very much.

"The Devil's Nest is not a nice place Naruto. Just drop the package off at the bar and leave, alright?" Ookii-san said seriously and he nodded in understanding. After staring at him for a second, Ookii-san smiled slightly and ruffled his hair, making Naruto grumble sourly before turning around to hide a smile of his own.

Maybe it was the little actions like those that made him like Ookii-san.

Naruto arrived at the Devil's Nest in record time, though considering it was his first time there, he was sure his first trial run didn't count. He approached the slightly dilapidated and dirty looking building, pausing some feet away before heading towards the entrance. ' _Ookii-san wasn't kidding about this place. This whole building gives me the creeps._ ' His advancement towards the only door was quickly halted by a tall man with a short blond Mohawk on his head. ' _I guess he guards the entrance just like the shinobi who guard Konoha's gate._ ' Strangely, Naruto noticed that the man had a funny scent about him, one that he couldn't quite place.

"Hey, whoa there kid, no one under eighteen is allowed in here little buddy." The man said as he spat out a cigarette from his mouth, crushing the remains under his boot.

"Sorry Kanshinin-san, but I have a delivery to make." Naruto replied as he bowed his head respectfully. His normal behavior, which was apparently rude, had resulted in the loss of one of Baa-chan’s regulars after he’d gone on one of his first deliveries. He’d gotten into a fight with the buyers’ grandson who had been acting like a spoiled brat at the time. After that Baa-chan had literally beaten it into his head that he should always be polite to the customer, even if they were assholes.

“Uh, what’s a Canshin-shin, kid?” The man asked with a confused frown, stumbling over the foreign word slightly.

“Its Xingese mister, it means guardian.” Naruto answered easily. He’d found it odd that Japanese was known as Xingese here. It had been even odder when he’d realized that he’d been fluently speaking Amestrian, a completely different language, when he’d arrived in this world.

Ulchi smirked to himself, he'd never thought of himself as a guardian before. He was just the bouncer, making sure none of the punks or any military personnel tried to get into the bar. It was refreshing to see that at least someone thought that his job was somewhat important. He smiled down at the kid, forgetting about his crocodile shaped teeth for a second, and was rewarded with a slight grin from the little blond.

"Aw, what the hell. Go on in kid and if anyone tries to give you trouble just tell them Ulchi let you in, okay?" The chimera said to the boy, surprisingly feeling a little bit better about himself. Ulchi had always hated and lamented his job. While the others got to spend their days inside with sexy women and getting drunk, he'd had to stand in front of the door all day long, feeling like a complete idiot. Now though, well, maybe being a Kanshinin wasn't such a bad thing. Hell, it might even impress the ladies if he introduced himself as such.

"Thanks Ulchi-Kanshinin-san!" Naruto replied happily as he moved down the stairs that lead to the door, unawares of the slight character development he'd just brought about in the crocodile chimera.

As soon as he entered the dark room, Naruto coughed on the thick smoke that clung to the air. The smell of alcohol and something burning irritated his eyes and made him want to sneeze. Spotting the bar, he quickly made his way across the room, avoiding the spread out chairs and various people occupying the room. He had to jump back suddenly, barely avoiding the alcohol that had been thrown his way by some drunken patron.

Growling lightly in annoyance, Naruto hurried over to the bartender, eager to leave the loud and smelly place. In his haste, he failed to notice to the pair of sharp amethyst eyes that were following his movements with interest.

* * *

Greed watched curiously as a kid dressed in way too much orange stepped into his bar, dodging the drunks and broken furniture with ease and not looking the least bit uncomfortable, save for the sour expression on his face. Greed glanced over at one of his self-appointed bodyguards and found that the brown haired swordsman was making a similar face of disgust as the little blond. Catching the man's eye, he nodded slightly towards the kid, before taking a sip from his current round of beer. It tasted like piss, but it was the best the bar had at the moment.

"Hey Dolcetto, you getting a read on that kid?" Greed asked and the dog chimera nodded his head, narrowing his eyes as he seemingly took the in boy's appearance.

"He smells like fox and I can tell from the way that he moves that he's been trained for combat." Dolcetto said as he sniffed the air again, only to end up grimacing as the smoke messed with his keen sense of smell. "He's also carrying meat, smells like the steaks we ordered."

"Trained you say, wonder what for?" Greed mused loudly as the woman next to him gave a lusty giggle, instantly regaining his attention for the moment.

"Who cares? Amestris isn't exactly a friendly place. They boy was probably just given the basics on how to defend himself against the common thug." Martel added lazily as she glared at the woman draping herself over Greed. The Homunculus chuckled lecherously as she whispered something into his ear and Martel was just grateful that she hadn't been combined with a creature that had sharper hearing.

The small groups attention turned towards the corner of the bar, where the subject of their conversation shouted suddenly, quieting the bar with his outburst.

"Look here asshole. I don't care how much you _think_ you owe me. The fact of the matter is that you're still fifty cens short and I'm not leaving until you pay up!" The kid shouted angrily making Greed snicker slightly.

"Looks like Kio is trying to pull another fast one." Dolcetto muttered as he turned his attention to the ceiling and sighed tiredly. Sometimes it was just too damn boring in this place. What he wouldn't give for a little excitement.

"Look you little punk, you obviously did the math wrong. Just go home and you won't get any trouble." Kio growled as he cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner. The others in the bar had already become bored with the pointless exchange. Kio was known for always trying to swindle money out of people and his unimaginative threats had become a common thing to hear over time.

"Oi, you want to take this outside? Fine, I'm game, and once I kick your sorry ass, you have to pay double what you owe!" The brat challenged. Kio smirked and led the way outside with the blond boy following behind him, giving a glare that looked more like a pout on his young face. Greed's eyes followed the two as they left the room and he brushed off his lady guest to follow, Dolcetto rising to his feet as well. Some of the others in the bar started placing bets just for sake of doing something different. Obviously the odds on the brat weren’t looking too good.

As Greed stepped into the back alleyway, he spotted the kid a little further up the cobblestoned lane, looking very eager for a fight. Dolcetto stepped up beside the Homunculus, his katana resting at his side and ready to be used. Kio had a tendency to take things a little too far and the last thing they needed was a body to hide.

"I'll give you one last chance to back down punk, leave and your store won't lose a valuable costumer." Kio called from his side of the alley, his brutish voice and broad stature surely being enough to frighten the small boy into backing down. From the way the brat was glaring at Kio though, Greed didn’t think he looked too worried.

"Hah, you think after today Ookii-san will still want to do business with you once he finds out you tried to rip him off? You'll definitely need to find a new place to get your meat from, Teme!" The kid yelled back and Greed heard Dolcetto growl dangerously from beside him.

That certainly wasn't good news.

Meat was a very important thing to some chimeras, especially to Martel, Dolcetto, and Ulchi. This was actually the third butcher shop they'd been through. The last two had stopped delivering due to Kio either trying to pull a fast one or that the Devil's Nest’s bad reputation had scared them off. In any case, Kio would be getting a beating later if he managed to chase away this new meat shop after just one order.

"Tch, whatever you little punk. I'll make you regret those words!" Kio shouted as he moved forward to take a swipe at the kid. The boy jumped back and clapped his hands together before slamming them onto the ground. A transmutation activated and the cobblestones rose up, wrapping around Kio and leaving him unable to move. Just like that the fight was over.

Greed felt his smirk melt right off his face, eyes narrowing seriously as he really looked at the small boy. It had been a long time since he'd seen Alchemy performed without some sort of medium. Ideas and half formed plans raced through his mind, but one thought stood out above the rest.

The brat was a Sacrifice.

He knew what this meant. _They_ would come for the kid and would likely find him here as well. Gluttony would likely be the one to sniff him out. And then he’d either be dead or back inside the old coot. Greed wasn't stupid. He knew Father had little use for a pawn that didn't take orders. Pops would want total control, and Greed would never willingly allow himself to be under anyone's thumb. He was simply too greedy to sit obediently in the shadows. That was more Pride's thing anyways.

Greed gritted his teeth. It would be best if he just left now, quickly and without drawing any attention. Perhaps he would leave Amestris completely and go across the desert to Xing or travel south towards Aerugo. He could start over and take the surrounding countries for his own. And then, when he had enough power, he would return and take Amestris from his old man. Greed smirked hollowly to himself, eyes drifting to the sky, knowing that his personified sin was getting ahead of itself. ‘ _Ah well, at least it sounded good in my head._ ’

He would never be able to defeat Father. His best chance of survival was to hide, like he'd been doing for the last one hundred years.

"Impressive. It's not every day you see something like that." Dolcetto commented with a low whistle, bringing Greed out of his thoughts and back towards the nonexistent fight. The kid was staring up at Kio, displaying a winning smile on his face that made the Homunculus chuckle slightly. He'd always been one to appreciate nerve.

"Yatta, I won! Now you have to pay double!" The brat said looking both annoyed and pleased. Kio's response was to spit at the kid's feet, earning him a dark look from the little Alchemist. "Hope you don't have to take a piss Teme, because I'm not letting you out of there now." With that the blond turned towards them, completely ignoring Kio's demands for him to come back.

"Not bad, for a gaki." Greed commented lazily as he looked down at the kid, forced to readjust his sunglasses as they slid down his nose a little. It hadn’t escaped his notice that the kid spoke a bit of Xingese, though he certainly didn’t look like a foreigner with those blue eyes and blond hair. Greed crouched down next to the curious boy and poked his chest lightly, earning a frown from the small Sacrifice. "But now you've gone and attacked one of my henchmen. As the boss, I sort of have a commitment to defend his honor, or something like that." The Homunculus continued, though it seemed only one word had penetrated the kid's mind.

"Hey, who’re you calling a brat!" The boy shouted, his left hand shooting out to point at Greed accusingly, taking the small slight as a grievous insult. "Wait, you're the Oyabun?" The kid questioned after a moment, earning him an amused look from Dolcetto.

"You're not that bright, are ya gaki?" Dolcetto asked and the blond glared.

"I'm not a gaki!" The kid shouted again, a twitch developing in his left eye as he barely refrained from taking a swing at them both. "If you're the Oyabun, then you can pay me what that Teme promised."

"Hmm, I suppose I could, but if I heard right, you just said you're never doing business with us again. And that's a problem because my henchmen really like their meat." The Homunculus said as he eyed the boy over his glasses, seeing the kid frown slightly.

"If you pay me, I promise not to tell Ookii-san what happened." The kid offered and Greed shrugged, looking completely unbothered by the chances of losing their only meat supplier.

"And how do I know you won't just leave here with the money and never come back?" He asked lightly and was surprised to the brat smile slightly, his cerulean blue eyes shooting over to Dolcetto before speaking.

"Well, if _I needed_ to come here, then I'd have to bring your orders, right?" The boy asked in a sly tone, his face twisting into a look of pure mischief. Greed caught on quickly and raised a questioning brow, distantly noticing that the marks on the kid’s face reminded him of whiskers.

"Oh? And why would you have to come back here?" He probed, his gaze following the kids’ and seeing that he was studying Dolcetto, who simply looked uninterested.

"Well, since he's going to be teaching me how to use a sword, you'll be seeing a lot more of me." The brat explained plainly while pointing at Dolcetto as a large grin stretched over his face, causing the whisker-like marks to curve upwards slightly. ‘ _Could this kid be a chimera too? It would explain why he smelt like foxes to Dolcetto._ ’

"WHAT!" Dolcetto shouted and Greed grinned as an understanding look passed between him and the brat.

"Makes sense to me." The Homunculus agreed as he pulled out the hundred cens that Kio owed and paid the kid, both ignoring the way that Dolcetto flailed his arms in order to get their attention. "Well Dolcetto, looks like you just got yourself a student."

"No, no, no! I'm not taking in this kid as my student. I've never even taught anyone how to use a sword before!" Dolcetto yelled and Greed brought a finger up to his ear, wincing slightly from how loudly the chimera was speaking. He waved goodbye to the brat, only to be ignored as the kid stared avidly up at his new teacher.

"Thanks for accepting me as your student, Sensei!" The blond chirped as he suddenly appeared in front of the dog chimera, causing Dolcetto to drop his arms and slump forward in defeat. The swordsmen stared down at the ground glumly, knowing that he'd already lost the argument.

"Yeah, sure, whatever. What's your name kid?" Dolcetto asked tiredly and Greed paused long enough in the doorway so that he could hear the brat's reply.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

Ookii-san was waiting for Naruto when he returned to the shop fifty cens richer. He told the large man that he'd actually earned the extra money after he’d found an old man trying to pull a heavy cart to a farm outside of the city, which was the reason for why it had taken him so long to get back. He gave Ookii-san the money for the order and returned to the room Baa-chan had allowed him to use.

It was the same room he'd woken up in, and although Naruto had lived in it for the last three months, he hadn't changed anything besides adding some clothes to the closet and keeping his Alchemy notes on the provided desk. As he walked over to the desk, Naruto opened the bottom drawer where his savings was being stored. Tips were a natural part of the deliveries and for whatever reason, most of the citizens of Dublith gave Naruto rather generous ones. He was saving the money for many things. He bought different types of metals often to make kunai and shuriken with, experimenting to see what worked and what didn’t.

He also had to have money for when he struck out on his own.

There was no denying it. His searching for a way back to Konoha was slowly coming to a standstill and Naruto knew he would have to eventually look elsewhere for the information he needed. Now, as he stared down at the small mounds of cens, he realized he would have to either buy a sword or at least the materials needed to transmute his own. Though, seeing as he had no knowledge of swords whatsoever, Naruto decided it was probably the smarter choice to buy one.

It wasn't on a simple whim that Naruto had bargained with the Oyabun to have Dolcetto become his sensei. He had always imagined wielding a sword one day when he would become a shinobi. It had been one of his many daydreams to become a great swordsman. Naruto had been disappointed when he’d arrived at the Academy and had found out that they wouldn’t learn how to use any weapons beyond shuriken, kunai, smoke bombs, exploding tags, and ninja wire.

When he'd seen that katana at Dolcetto’s waist, Naruto just knew that this was his chance to learn how to use a sword. While Dolcetto-sensei hadn't seemed all that enthusiastic about taking him as a student, he wasn't against the idea either. Dolcetto-sensei had asked him about his previous training and Naruto told him about his intermediate skills at martial arts and about his proficient level in Alchemy.

Dolcetto-sensei gave him a new training regime to add to the one Baa-chan already had him on, having Naruto focus on his upper body strength and endurance. The blond was more than eager to get started and he quickly left his bedroom to go to the backyard, swiftly passing Baa-chan's room on the way. He paused slightly, looking at his first sensei from the doorway and taking in her sleeping form.

She had been sick for the past couple of days, tired and coughing up blood occasionally. It had shocked Naruto when he'd first witnessed one of Baa-chan's episodes months ago. The violent upheaval of dark red, the sound of it splattering across the kitchen table, the way she had collapsed onto the floor. It had terrified Naruto and he'd been so thankful that Ookii-san was in the other room at the time. Izumi-sensei had then fully explained her condition to him; the effects were the results of the state her body after her attempt at Human Transmutation. With her reproductive organs missing, her entire biology had been thrown into chaos.

Baa-chan was dying, slowly and painfully.

Naruto hadn't known how to react to that, he'd never lost anyone before and the thought that Baa-chan would soon be gone wasn't a future that he could visualize. He'd told her as much at the time, eyes wet and face tearstained as he’d asked her what he could do to help her get better. Her advice had been simple, cruel, and somehow comforting. He would never forget her words for as long as he lived.

" _Everyone dies Naruto, some sooner than others and it's always sad. I won't be the only person who you can't save. That's just how life is. The only thing you can do is stand up, brush yourself off and move forward._ "

Naruto looked back down the hallway, hearing Ookii-san calling for him, most likely to deliver another order, and sighed. It looked like he wouldn't be able to start his new training until tomorrow. Naruto went to leave, but stopped to look back at his sensei. She looked so pale and frail. It was so easy to forget that she wasn’t healthy, especially when she handed him his ass during training.

The young Alchemist looked down at his feet in thought, remembering a similar time where Jiji had talked about staying strong in the face of adversity. Sadly, he hadn’t been paying much attention at the time. Naruto was half-convinced that a fire’s will was involved somehow, but that didn’t sound quite right now that he thought about it. But he did understand the point Jiji had been trying to make, it was about never giving up. Ookii-san called out for him again and Naruto gave Izumi-sensei one last determined look before continuing down the hall.

‘ _Don't worry Jiji, Baa-chan. I won't ever give up or stop moving forward._ ’

* * *

Naruto woke up bright and early with the birds just waking up to start their day as he ran outside to begin his morning training. It had only been a week since he’d met Dolcetto-sensei and today would be his first official day of training under the swordsman. He’d met up with Dolcetto-sensei the morning after he’d encountered the man, eagerly wanting to learn how to use a sword as quickly as possible. However, when Dolcetto-sensei had found out he had zero experience with a sword, the man had given him a few sets of basic stances and attacks to practice and familiarize himself with. Naruto had, begrudgingly, promised to go through the katas and agreed to return in a week so that Dolcetto-sensei could teach him the next set of moves.

It had been awkward at first for Naruto, standing in Baa-chan’s backyard with a bokken gripped in his hands as he clumsily practiced his katas. Dolcetto-sensei didn’t want him using a real sword until he mastered the basics. A smart move on his sensei’s part, for had Naruto been using a real sword, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have any fingers at this point.

It was a surreal experience for Naruto to practice the sword katas Dolcetto-sensei had given him, mainly because they were the first moves he had ever actually practiced on his own. When it came to Taijutsu, his teachers at the Academy hadn’t really told him what to do. “Punch when you see an opening, block when you need to.” That was the extent of their knowledge they had shared with him when it came to fighting. Naruto had been forced to figure out where to go from there on his own.

He’d seen the other kids in class go through Taijutsu stances and moves from a distance. He’d tried to copy them as best he could, but eventually he gave up and went with more of an anything goes kind of fighting style. He’d had no technique, no forms, and no sense of timing. It was no wonder Sasuke-teme had always been able to wipe the floor with him. Thankfully, Baa-chan had been teaching him her style the last few months. Naruto couldn’t wait to show Jiji just how awesome he’d become.

So after a week of going through the same moves over and over again, Naruto was certain he at least had a basic understanding of how to use a sword. Besides the sword katas, Dolcetto-sensei had also given him exercises designed to increase his upper body strength and speed. Along with the leg lifts, sit ups, laps, and sparring that Izumi-sensei had assigned him, he also had pushups, pull ups, and weighted training to do for Dolcetto-sensei.

Naruto could honestly say he’d never exerted himself as much as he had during the past week.

Hours later Naruto arrived at the Devil’s Nest, beating his last mark by forty seconds. Maybe he should try asking Baa-chan if he could increase his weights again, forty pounds was beginning to feel too easy. Pausing to say a hello to Ulchi-Kanshinin-san, Naruto excitedly entered the Devil’s Nest to find Dolcetto-sensei. With cerulean blue eyes searching for their target, Naruto shouted as he spotted, not his sensei, but someone who might know where his teacher was.

“Oyabun! Oi, Oyabun!” Were the shouted words that punctured Greed’s hazy mind. He reluctantly turned away from the very sexy redhead he’d been necking and sent an irritated glare at the idiot who’d interrupted him. He spotted a flash of orange racing over to him and gave a tired sigh.

“Oh, it’s just you. What do you want gaki, can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?” Greed grinned over at the woman next to him and she blushed heavily in response, her soft hand brushing over the marks he’d left on her neck.

“Ne, lady, you okay? The Oyabun didn’t hurt you did he?” Naruto asked as he spotted the woman’s red face and bruised skin. He sent a dark look over at the Oyabun, before looking back up at her in concern. She stared back at him for a long second and Naruto started to worry that he might have done or said something wrong, when she let out a high pitched squeal that hurt his ears.

“So cute!” She shouted and Naruto took a step back, looking uncertain as he pointed at himself.

“Eh? Who? Me?” He asked in confusion, looking behind him for the person that she must have been talking about. Nobody had ever called him cute before. He was therefore taken by surprise as her arms wrapped around him, pressing his blushing face into her very large breasts.

“Aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” She cooed and Greed could only stare as the little runt stole all the attention from his buxom babe, unable to get over his disbelief. That should be his face being rubbed up against those beautiful boobs! “Is he your son, Mr. Greed?” It took Greed a minute to fully process her question, which was enough time for Naruto to free himself from a suffocating death, though he silently admitted it wouldn’t be the worse way to go.

“No way in hell!” They both shouted at the same time, a blush still heavily evident on Naruto’s face. They turned to glare at each other and the woman giggled slightly, earning a pout from Naruto, which got him another hug.

“What the hell are you doing here kid?” Greed asked irritably, watching as the redhead left the bar. When he’d tried to ignore the brat and continue what they’d started, the woman had stopped him, saying that she couldn’t destroy a little boy’s innocence. “The meat we ordered from last week hasn’t run out yet, so I know you’re not here to make a delivery.”

“I’m here for my lessons. Do you know where Dolcetto-sensei is?” Naruto asked as he furiously rubbed off the pink lipstick stain from the side of his cheek. He hoped all ladies wouldn’t react to him like the last one, he didn’t think he could handle it if women kept calling him cute. He couldn’t become a badass shinobi with that description hanging over his head.

“Huh? How the hell am I supposed to know where he is gaki?” Greed returned lazily as he placed a hand on the back of his neck and cracked it back and forth.

“Stop calling me gaki, Oyabun! My name is Naruto!” The blond runt shouted and Greed furrowed his eyebrows as his amethyst eyes sharpened in interest behind his sunglasses. Was the kid going to keep calling him boss? Then again, he hadn’t introduced himself yet.

“Then you can call me Greed, kid, and you’re what, five years old? That makes you a gaki.” He said dismissively as he waved his hand over at Kio, signaling for the idiot to bring over some more alcohol.

“Oi! I’m not five, I’m nine!” Naruto argued as a warm feeling filled his chest, making him smile slightly. He’d turned nine about a month ago on October 10th.

Usually, his birthday only represented bad things back in Konoha, like the Kyuubi attack and the Yondaime dying to save the village. Nobody, besides Jiji, had celebrated his birthday. Well, Inu-san usually gave him a gift. Last year the white masked, silver-haired shinobi had given him Gama-chan. Naruto frowned for a second, he missed his little toad wallet.

This year though, when Naruto had shyly told Baa-chan that his birthday was on the tenth, she, Ookii-san, and Mason had thrown him a party, inviting the neighbors and their children. Naruto had played games with the other kids, unwrapped a dozen presents, and had been sung happy birthday to by everyone in the room before blowing out the candles on his cake. It was the best birthday he’d ever had. The only thing that could have made it better was if the Jiji had been there too.

“Seriously? You’re like three feet tall. You don’t even reach my hips.” Greed snickered at the brat as Kio finally arrived with his drink. He saw the bartender shoot a dark look at Naruto, his fists clenching in anger. No doubt the man was sore from his defeat. The rest of the guys hadn’t stopped making fun of him for losing to a kid. The Homunculus sent his own glare at Kio, pleased to see the man pale slightly before quickly returning to the bar. His eyes followed Kio and when he hesitantly looked back up, Greed was sure the bartender understood his silent message.

The gaki was off limits.

“I’m not that short, besides, I’m still growing you dumbass!” Naruto shouted indignantly as he barely resisted the urge to pout angrily. It wasn’t his fault he was so small, it’s not like he’d had a good diet growing up. The lady at the orphanage had always underfed him, often times withholding his meals if she’d felt he’d done something bad. Once Jiji had moved him into his own apartment and given him a weekly stipend, the only thing he could afford was instant ramen. At the time, the grocer had claimed that there’d been some sort of orphan tax. Now that he was a little wiser, Naruto honestly couldn’t believe how gullible he used to be.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” The Homunculus replied flatly, bored with the conversation already. Suddenly, Greed spotted a flash of blond among the sea of brown and black hair. “Hey Martel, get over here, I got someone I want you to meet.”

Naruto easily spotted the woman Oyabun had called out to. She had blond hair that was a few shades darker than his, dark blue eyes, and some sort of green tattoo that started on her right shoulder and ended on her lower right cheek. When she reached them Naruto discovered that she, oddly enough, smelt like snakes.

“She’s not going to try to smother me too, is she?” He asked Oyabun warily, earning him a raised brow from the woman and a snigger from the man.

“Hah, you wish you were that lucky. I don’t think Martel here finds anything cute.” Greed said and the kid sighed with relief before looking up at the snake chimera with appraising eyes. Martel seemed to pass some sort of test, because the runt nodded after a minute and smiled, apparently pleased with what he saw.

“That’s not true Greed. I find that rattlesnakes can be very adorable.” Martel replied evenly as she too assessed the gaki, her dark eyes roving over the child in a snake-like manner, looking as if she were deciding whether he was prey or not.

“Nice to meet you Martel-nee-chan, I’m Naruto Uzumaki!” The kid said excitedly as he smiled up brightly at Martel. It was a somewhat fascinating thing for Greed to watch, to see a hardened soldier like Martel react to such a childish and innocent introduction.

Surprise took over her face first, which was understandable since being unpredictable seemed to be the gaki’s specialty. It was the face she made afterword that really astonished Greed. For a second, her usually stern expression softened and the tips of her mouth twitched upwards suddenly. Then it all disappeared in the blink of an eye, a blank look replacing any expressions, making Greed almost believe that he’d just imagined the whole thing. The gaki was smiling wider than before though. So he’d obviously seen Martel’s moment of weakness too.

“Have you seen Dolcetto anywhere recently? The gaki is looking for him.” He asked after a moment, seeing as Martel and Naruto were content with just staring at each other. Humans were so odd sometimes. The kid briefly glared at him before turning back to Martel.

“I think I saw him heading towards the roof a little while ago, you can try there.” She spoke more to him than to Naruto, but the kid didn’t seem to notice the slight snub. “Why is this kid even here, Greed?”

“I made a deal with Oyabun. I’ll keep bringing your orders from Ookii-san’s shop if Dolcetto-sensei teaches me Kenjutsu!” Naruto explained eagerly, cutting off Oyabun before the guy had any chance to discredit him in front of Martel-nee-chan. She reminded him a little of that purple haired Kunoichi who’d protected him from a couple of villagers once. She’d smelt like snakes too.

“Is that so? I got to see this, Dolcetto playing teacher. I bet it’ll be hilarious.” Nee-chan replied as she chuckled, which made Oyabun laugh too. Naruto didn’t really get it, but he smiled anyways and nodded in agreement, making Oyabun laugh a little harder. “C’mon, I’ll show how to get to the roof.” Naruto followed readily, barely noticing that the Oyabun had abandoned his drink and had decided to follow them.

* * *

Dolcetto sighed happily as he sat on the rooftop of the Devil’s Nest; his legs crossed and back slumped up against the doorway to the roof. This was the one place where he could come to and get some peace and quiet, not that he usually desired those things. He liked being rowdy, getting drunk, and partying with the others. This moment of isolation was more a requirement than anything else. He needed to meditate, to keep his mind clear and focused.

His sensei, who’d been a foreigner from Xing, had taught him to meditate often. It helped him stay calm in battle and let him think clearly before striking out at his enemies. Of course being a chimera, Dolcetto had come to rely on his instincts more than ever when he fought, but the years of swordsmanship had been hammered into him, making meditation a natural part of his life.

He closed his dark green eyes and breathed in the warm air deeply, smiling at the way the slight wind ruffled his short hair and tugged on his clothes. When he’d been younger, meditation had always been an annoyance, now Dolcetto found that he rather enjoyed the activity of doing nothing. There was a certain stillness in the action that his body actually seemed to like. It was here on the roof where he could find the solitude he needed to meditate.

No one ever came up here.

Which was why Dolcetto was taken by complete surprise as the door he was leaning against was suddenly flung open, throwing him a good few feet into the air and crashing face first in the roof’s surface.

“See, I knew he was up here.” Dolcetto heard Martel say as he twisted around, holding onto his aching nose, and saw the woman standing in the doorway with her left foot still in the air.

“Why the hell did you kick the door open! Can’t you be a normal person for once?” He barked angrily as he stood up. Martel glared at him and it was almost enough to make him back down, but then his nose gave another painful throb, refueling his irritation.

“Shut the hell up before I skin you and turn you into a throw rug. You’re the idiot who was leaning against the door.” Martel hissed back and Dolcetto growled lowly. “Besides, you have some obligations to uphold, serves you right for shirking your duties.”

“What are you talking abo–” Dolcetto started to say before a flash of orange charged towards him with a wooden sword trailing behind it. He groaned and saw Martel snickering at his situation with a grinning Greed standing right behind her.

“Dolcetto-sensei, I’m here for my next lesson!” Naruto announced happily and Dolcetto sighed heavily, his shoulders slumped downwards as all the anger drained out of him to be replaced with resignation. He sent a glare at Greed who had the gull to look amused. ‘ _Damn you, boss!_ ’

“Did you memorize the katas I taught you last week?” He asked and the boy nodded so fast he thought the kid’s head might pop off. “Then show me, perform a basic overhead cut, followed up with a side slash, then finish up with a horizontal strike.” He saw the blonde nod again and watched with scrutiny as the boy went into his ready stance.

The bokken rested in both hands, coming out at a 120 degree angle from the gaki’s hips. His legs were spread a couple feet apart and his knees were bent forwards slightly. All in all, the starting stance was good. Once the kid got older he’d be able to modify it to suit his style, but for right now the basics would have to do.

“Pretty good kid, loosen your shoulders a little and don’t grip your sword so hard, you’ll get a better flow in movement that way.” Naruto made the adjustments Dolcetto-sensei had pointed out and then began performing the katas. He wasn’t sure how fast he was supposed to go, so he went with a medium pace. His sensei only had a few corrections to make, but they weren’t anything serious. He just needed to hold his sword a little lower or he’d needed to spread his feet further apart.

“Not bad kid, not bad at all. I can tell you’ve been practicing. This time I want you to go as fast as you can, but don’t sacrifice your form for speed. A poorly performed attack could give your enemy the opportunity they need to strike you down.” Dolcetto instructed, honestly feeling a little impressed with how quickly the kid had picked up on the katas and with how seriously he was taking it.

Naruto nodded and performed the katas as fast as he could, making sure he didn’t mess anything up. His speed wasn’t a whole lot faster, but there was a noticeable difference. When he finished the horizontal strike, he looked to his sensei and found the man smirking slightly, which made him grin widely. They moved on to review the other forms and once Dolcetto-sensei was satisfied, he taught Naruto the next set of katas.

“I want you to try to combine these katas together to make your own attacks. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can add them to your fighting and develop your own style of Kenjutsu.” Dolcetto-sensei stated as the lesson came to an end. “That’s what your goal should be kid, to take the things I teach you and make them your own.”

“Hai, Dolcetto-sensei.” Naruto replied as he lowered his bokken and wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He looked over at Nee-chan and Oyabun, who were sitting near the edge of the roof. They’d watched the entire session, which he guessed was about two hours long, mostly staying quiet except for the few times when Nee-chan had teased Dolcetto-sensei.

“Hey gaki–” Oyabun called and Naruto turned to growl at the man, his grip tightening around his wooden sword.

“I am not a gaki!” He shouted back, cutting off the man before he could speak any further. Naruto silently swore he’d use Alchemy to push the man over the roof’s ledge if he called him that one more time.

“Are you a chimera?” Greed continued, completely ignoring the brat’s protest. He saw Martel narrow her eyes as she looked the kid over and Dolcetto sniffed at the air again. Naruto simply looked confused and rubbed the back off his head.

“Huh, a chimera? Of course not, do I look like a bunch of animals combined into one?” He asked in a deadpanned tone while raising his eyebrows at the older man, silently questioning the Oyabun’s intelligence.

“These two right here are chimeras.” Oyabun informed him while wearing a small frown and gesturing towards Martel-nee-chan and Dolcetto-sensei.

“Eh, is that why Dolcetto-sensei smells like a dog or Nee-chan like snakes?” Naruto remarked as he and Dolcetto-sensei approached the other two. They looked surprised by his words, but Oyabun quickly smirked, looking as if he’d just proved the man’s point.

“Wait a second, you’re telling me you can smell what animals we’ve been combined with?” Dolcetto-sensei asked and he nodded slowly. “How the hell can you do that? Normal humans don’t have such a strong sense of smell.”

“I’ve always had sharp senses. I can hear things that others can’t, smell things that people don’t notice, and see things from pretty far away. I’ve always been like this.” He explained easily enough. Jiji had told him that it was some sort of special ability and Naruto now wished that he’d interrogated the man a bit more. He’d been too distracted and excited by the discovery that he had such an awesome ability at the time though.

“What’s with the marks on your face then?” Nee-chan asked and he crossed his arms while sending a glare out at the city.

“Their birthmarks, I’ve always had them.” He answered shortly. He’d never had a problem with the marks on his face. In fact he’d always thought they were pretty cool. Kind of like the marks the Inuzuka Clan had. The villagers had hated them though and the other kids at the Academy had always made fun of them.

“Okay, then how come you smell like foxes?” Dolcetto-sensei asked and Naruto opened his mouth to respond, only to freeze as the man’s words sunk in. He hesitantly sniffed himself, but didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary. He stared up at his sensei in confusion, honestly unable to explain that last one.

“I smell… like a fox?” He asked uncertainly and Dolcetto-sensei nodded. Naruto bit his lower lip and tried to think of a reason for why that was. Sure he’d played with those two foxes on Yock Island, but their scents wouldn’t still be on him now. “I don’t know. I didn’t realize I smelt like one.” He answered quietly, feeling unsettled by this new information.

After the Kyuubi attack, it went without saying that foxes were not liked in Konoha, everyone hated them. And the fact that he’d apparently smelt like a fox, most likely throughout his entire life, made his stomach clench with a feeling that he couldn’t place. Was this why the villagers hated him, had they smelt the fox scent on him too? No, that couldn’t be it. Dolcetto-sensei said that normal people didn’t have senses that sharp. “ _Damn fox!_ ” How many times had Naruto heard one of the villagers call him that? The Shinobi who’d sent him into this world had called him that too. Naruto scrunched his face up and tried to understand why. Why did he smell like a fox? Why had the villagers called him that?

Why did they hate him so much?

“Hey gaki, you okay?” Naruto’s head snapped up to yell at whoever had insulted him, but the words died on his tongue as he realized that there was something wet on his cheeks. He brushed his hands over his face, mortified to find that he was crying. He quickly turned away from the others and wiped away his tears before turning back, a large smile appearing on his face as he kept his eyes closed.

“Yeah, I’m good Oyabun. Think I just got sweat in my eyes or something. It really stung.” He said cheerfully as he gave a small chuckle that had no real feeling behind it. He didn’t open his eyes to look at their faces, but instead turned away from them to look out at Dublith, remembering how different Konoha looked compared to the small town. “The people in my old village didn’t like me so much. They called me a damn fox, I never really knew why though.” He whispered somberly, wishing someone would give him the answers he wanted to know.

Martel stared at the young boy, surprised at how old and weary he suddenly sounded. She found her heart softening a little towards the blond, who clearly wasn’t as carefree and innocent as she’d first thought.

Dolcetto frowned at his student, a feeling of guilt growing inside of him for some unknown reason. It wasn’t like it was his fault that the gaki smelt like fox. He’d just pointed it out to the boy, alerting Naruto to something that he’d clearly been unaware of. Now though, it looked as if he’d given the kid some sort of puzzle piece, and judging by the pain filled look on his small face, the final picture wasn’t a pretty one.

“Maybe you are a chimera then.” Greed stated suddenly, making the others stare back at him. “Experiments on humans are not unheard of here in Amestris. These two, along with a few others, used to be soldiers. They were injured, their wounds almost fatal, and were secretly smuggled into an underground military lab where they were combined with animals and turned into chimeras. Is it really too far of a stretch to believe that someone might have done the same thing to a newborn? The people in your town probably knew about it and just never told you the truth.”

Naruto simply nodded quietly as he stared at the ground. While Oyabun’s theory sounded good, he knew it was impossible for him to be a chimera. Alchemy didn’t exist in his world, so there was no way for him to have been combined with a fox when he’d been a baby. But the Oyabun did make an interesting point that he hadn’t thought about before. Maybe something did happen to him when he was little, something bad that the villagers knew about. Maybe it wasn’t his fault that there was something wrong with him?

“Hear that gaki? You really are part of the gang now!” Dolcetto-sensei said mockingly and Naruto turned at him, steam almost pouring out of his ears as his face turned red with anger.

“Don’t call me a gaki, Koinu-sensei!” Naruto shouted back as he pointed up at the man. The roof was dead silent for a second before Nee-chan burst into a fit a laughter that had her rolling on the ground, tears streaming down her face. Sensei’s jaw dropped and he stared at Naruto incredulously for a few moments before he regained his wits.

“I-I am not a puppy!” Dolcetto shouted back and Martel laughed even harder in response. “Shut the hell up, Martel!” He growled at the woman who simply continued to laugh. “I said shut up you crazy snake bitch!” He barked as he lunged at the woman.

As Koinu-sensei and Martel-nee-chan fought, Naruto turned to look up at Oyabun, his earlier gloom still very much there. He found the man staring down at him intently, almost making Naruto fidget as he quickly brought up another fake smile.

“So what kind of chimera are you Oyabun? The only thing I get from your scent is alcohol and tobacco.” He said sourly as he scrunched up his nose in disgust. Still, the tobacco stench reminded him of Jiji and Naruto was surprised to find he was slowly growing fond of the smell just for the memories it provided. Oyabun smiled sharply at him, the man’s razor-like teeth leading him to believe that he was part shark.

“Oh I’m no chimera, gaki. But I’m not human either. I’m Greed the Avaricious and I want everything you can think of. Money and women, power and sex, status, glory; I demand the finer things in life.” Greed stated darkly as he crouched down to be at eyelevel with the brat, making sure to push down his glasses so that the kid could finally see his eyes. He brought up his left hand, showing off his Ouroboros tattoo and the gaki gulped nervously, making Greed’s smile grow a little bigger. “Ya see, I’m something a bit more special than a chimera, kid. I am a Homunculus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kanshinin basically means guardian, but it’s more like a security guard. Ulchi never had a very large part, in either the two anime series or the manga. Still, he's a part of Greed's gang and he's supposedly perverted so I think I'm going to have a lot of fun writing him. Obviously gaki means brat and yatta basically means "I did it". It's supposed to be an expression of joy. Teme means bastard.
> 
> Oyabun means boss. In the dub version, Naruto’s clones called the original “boss” and I found it agreeable that he would do the same to Greed.
> 
> Koinu is Japanese for puppy. There are two reasons for why I had Naruto use this instead of Inu. One, Koinu is much ruder and we all know that Naruto enjoys getting a rise out of others. Two, Koinu-sensei sounds better to me than Inu-sensei. For those who don’t know, Inu is Japanese for dog. Inu-san, the white masked shinobi who gave Naruto Gama-chan, is actually Kakashi. The purple haired Kunoichi that saved Naruto was Anko. 
> 
> A bokken is a wooden sword
> 
> –Hexalys


	3. Passage of Time

Naruto panted as he dodged Baa-chan’s kick, they’d been at it for two hours now and he was sure one of them was going to collapse soon. His sensei dove after him, her longer reach playing into advantage, as she griped the collar of his t-shirt and threw him across the yard. He twisted his body to land on all fours, just like Martel-nee-chan had taught him, and launched one of his kunai at the woman.

Predictably Izumi-sensei sidestepped it, having grown used to the weapons after their many spars. She clapped her hands to the ground and created a simple spear before charging at him. Naruto also transmuted himself a weapon, but decided to create a set of long daggers instead. While he wasn’t as proficient with the weapons as Nee-chan, Naruto knew that his skills were adequate enough to wield them successfully.

Even though two years had passed since meeting Oyabun and the others, Naruto still hadn’t told Izumi-sensei where he spent most of his time. She believed he went out into town, most likely to play with the other children, and he’d never bothered to correct her. So naturally, he wasn’t going to show her how skilled he was with a sword because that would lead to questions. Omitting the truth was one thing, lying was something else entirely. It was one of Oyabun’s morals that Naruto had adopted as his own. Never tell a lie. So he didn’t say anything, too afraid that if she did find out the truth, Baa-chan might ban him from ever going back to the Devil’s Nest.

Naruto wasn’t dumb, he knew that Oyabun and the others weren’t the kind of friends a kid his age should have. Ignoring the fact that they were adults, they were also loud, rude, and occasionally did bad things. No, he knew for certain that Baa-chan wouldn’t approve. Despite this though, Naruto couldn’t help but be drawn to them.

At first it was because Koinu-sensei was teaching him Kenjutsu, but then his reason expanded to learning how to fight from Nee-chan, spying with Bido, reading with Yama-san, guarding the entrance with Ulchi, pestering Oyabun. Without realizing it, he’d begun to feel comfortable with them in just a few short weeks. They were outcasts like him, it seemed only natural that Naruto enjoyed being around them.

It often made him wonder, when sitting at the bar and watching everyone interact, if this was what it was like to have a family.

Koinu-sensei would be the Nii-san, a big brother whom he could learn from and play pranks on without the man getting too mad. Martel-nee-chan would of course be the Nee-chan, the elder sister who always looked out for him and beat up anyone who dared to mess with her little brother. Yama-san was the quiet Oji-san whom you could tell anything too, knowing that your secrets were safe with the ox chimera. Bido would be the Otōto, even though the lizard chimera was much older than Naruto, he still felt protective over the chimera. Bido was just so timid and insecure, unsure and unwilling to stick up for himself. He needed protecting. Then there was Ulchi, who had to be the goofy Itoko that always shared things with Naruto which weren’t exactly appropriate for his age.

Finally there was Oyabun. If there was any role he would put the Homunculus in, it would be that of a Tousan. Oyabun would be the father of their little, odd family. He was the person they all referred to, who they looked to for leadership. True, Oyabun had his faults, but Naruto knew the man would defend them from anybody. He’d seen the man’s possessive nature shine through on more than one occasion. The first time he’d seen Oyabun’s possessiveness had been the scariest as it was when Naruto had first seen the Ultimate Shield in action.

There’d been a rival gang in the area two years back and they’d been trying to muscle in on Oyabun’s territory. One of their members had seen Naruto visiting the Devil’s Nest and they’d decided to make an example out of him. The first string of thugs they’d sent after him had been easily dealt with and Naruto hadn’t even thought to inform the others that he’d been attacked. The second attack had been successful as they’d managed to knock Naruto out on his way home from the Devil’s Nest late one night. Their plan had been simple, beat him within an inch of his and then leave his broken body on the bar’s front steps. Tied and drugged, Naruto had been able to do nothing more than glare at his captors. Then Oyabun and the others had broken in.

The events were still a blur to the eleven year old, but he could still remember the heavy smell of blood and the strewn corpses. And while it had been frightening to watch Oyabun and the others slowly torture the rival gang’s leader, Naruto couldn’t help the warm feeling that had spread in his chest when the Homunculus told the man to never touch him again.

“Pay attention to the fight you idiot, you’re leaving yourself completely open!” Baa-chan shouted as her spear pierced the side of his shirt, leaving a large tear in the fabric. Fortunately, Naruto had moved just enough to avoid being cut.

“Sorry Sensei.” He quickly apologized as he returned his mind back to the fight, dismissing his thoughts for what they really were, wishful thinking. While he’d certainly grown fond of everyone at the Devil’s Nest, he doubted they returned the sentiment to such a degree. He couldn’t see the others viewing him as a brother or as a son.

He slashed upwards with his daggers, only to be blocked by Izumi-sensei’s spear for a moment before he swept out at her legs. She moved back to avoid the kick and he pushed the edges of his daggers inwards, making the spear slide by harmlessly into the ground. Swiftly, his left dagger dove towards her unprotected right side, but she countered by using the spear to pivot herself over his attack, landing safely a few feet away.

Naruto was about to charge forwards again, but Izumi-sensei sighed suddenly and dismissed her spear with a clap of her hands, signaling that training was done for the day. He followed her lead and dismissed his own weapons before turning back to gaze over the backyard, flinching a little as he took in the massive collateral damage. They’d really gone at it this time. However, after a simple transmutation everything was back to normal.

“You lost your focus at the end of the fight.” Izumi-sensei stated in an irritated tone and Naruto resisted the urge to shuffle his feet sheepishly. “You’ve been here for a little over two years now, yes?” She asked and he nodded while glancing up at her through his bangs, unsure of where she was going with this. “Maybe it’s time you embarked on your own training and quest for knowledge.”

“You think I’m ready?” He asked in disbelief and she nodded.

“As you know, I spent a month in the mountains near Briggs in order to be trained by Silver Steiner. It was there that I learned “One is All, All is One.” I put you through a similar trial when I left you on Yock Island, though it wasn’t nearly as challenging as it was supposed to be.” He smiled a little proudly at that. “In time, I came to see my training in Briggs not as a test to be accepted as Steiner’s student, but as a mark in my training as an Alchemist. It was there, through self-realization and brutal conditions that I discovered who I was and what type of Alchemist I wanted to be.”

“So, it was your Pilgrimage?” Naruto asked as he tilted his head in confusion. The Ishvalan monks often went on pilgrimages before the war to seek out enlightenment from Ishvala. Wasn’t that what Baa-chan did? It sure sounded the same to him.

“I suppose you could look at it that way.” Izumi said while nodding slowly. Perhaps one of the most unpredictable things about Naruto was his knowledge of the Ishvalan culture. It had taken her by surprise at first, seeing a boy who studied Alchemy recite religious annotations as if it were normal, but then she’d come to expect the unexpected from her student. “I was eighteen at the time, but I wasn’t as nearly as proficient with Alchemy as you are now. I have no doubts about your abilities to handle yourself.”

“But I don’t want to leave…” Naruto muttered as he stared down at his feet. “I like it here with you and Ookii-san and Mason and–” He cut himself off before he could mention the others from the Devil’s Nest.

“I’m not saying you have to leave this instant.” Baa-chan said with a warm chuckle, relief replacing Naruto’s sudden panic. It made him think. If he viewed the others as his family, what did he see Izumi-baa-chan as? Certainly not like an actual granny, she was way too young for that. “I’m just saying that it’s something to think about. There isn’t much more for me to teach you at this point, the rest is about discovering your own abilities.”

“I wouldn’t have to go to Briggs, would I?” He asked after a moment and Baa-chan shook her head. “Good, I hate the cold.” Naruto could still remember too many chilly nights spent curled up in his blankets, trying to stay warm since the heater to his apartment was broken, or so the landlord had said. “Baa-chan, is it okay if I go out for a bit?” He asked while looking over at the sun that was already sinking into the horizon.

“Just so long as your back an hour after nightfall.” She answered firmly, making sure she got an understanding nod before heading inside. “We’re having pork chops for dinner tonight, so don’t be late.” Naruto responded with an enthusiastic okay before running off towards the Devil’s Nest, inwardly wishing that they were having ramen instead. Still, a ramen-less meal was better than no meal at all.

And he’d found that food was a thousand times better when you didn’t have to eat it alone.

* * *

“And so I told him, that’s not a call girl, that’s the Fuhrer’s wife!” Dolcetto crowed as the surrounding group of man burst into raucous laughter. He smirked and chuckled with the others, his face flushed from the numerous drinks that he’d had throughout the past hour, though he was definitely the most sober one of the group. He’d told that joke several times over the years, but it never failed to get a laugh.

“Tell us another joke Koinu-sensei!” Ulchi bellowed, earning another roar of laughter from the other men.

“Hey, shut the hell up! Only the Gaki can call me that.” He growled back with no real force behind it. Ever since Naruto had walked into the Devil’s Nest two years ago, a slow but steady change had come over those who lived there. While they’d never been bloodthirsty criminals before, Naruto’s arrival had softened over some of their more jagged edges.

Ulchi, a former thug before he’d been picked off the streets, often spent time with Naruto, breaking away from his tough guy act to entertain the Gaki. Dolcetto had seen the boy drag a chair out into the streets plenty of times, presumably to keep Ulchi company as he guarded the front door. What those two did together, Dolcetto had no idea, but he’d place his bets on it not being anything good.

Martel had taken the boy under her wing the moment she’d found out about his talents when it came to throwing knives. Well, the Gaki had called them kunai. Martel was the one who called them knives. Amazingly, Naruto seemed to be the only person who was constantly in her good graces and while she’d never publically doted on him, Dolcetto knew that Martel absolutely adored the little blond that called her sister.

Bido was an imperfect chimera, something had gone wrong when those scientists had combined him with a gecko so he was left with a tail and discolored skin. As such, he’d been hesitant to introduce himself to Naruto at first, afraid of how the boy would react to his unnatural appearance. The kid had been startled at first, but he’d quickly warmed up to Bido, explaining that he could understand what the chimera went through and his fear of rejection. While the whisker marks on his face weren’t nearly as disquieting as a tail, they apparently hadn’t endeared him to the people in his hometown. It hadn’t taken the Gaki long to strike up a friendship with the timid chimera and in turn, Bido came to show the blond as much respect as he did towards Greed, going so far as to actual calling him Mr. Naruto.

Roa a serious man of very few words and fewer actions, there were times Dolcetto sometimes forgot that the ox chimera was even in the room. Because of Roa’s reserved nature and massive size, most tended to leave him alone. The giant of a man was never far from Greed, his massive sledgehammer resting nearby as a silent warning towards others who wished the Boss harm. Personally, Dolcetto got along fine with Roa. He’d joke with the guy, who never laughed, but offered his own dry humor from time to time. Martel spent most of her time with Roa, since she wasn’t one for big groups. Once you got used to Roa’s presence though, he could really have a calming effect on anyone.

Surprisingly, even Naruto.

The Gaki had instantly taken a liking to large chimera, aptly naming him Yama-san. Roa had simply blinked in response before calling him Koishi-kun in return, which had instantly pissed the kid off. Whenever Naruto was with Roa, he caught the boy studying, sitting with his back pressed up against one of Roa’s legs and oblivious to the rest of the world. It was the only time the Gaki was ever quiet when he was at the Devil’s Nest. Roa also seemed a little more relaxed when Naruto was with him, his posture not as tense as normal as he leaned against the wall and kept a trained eye on the bar’s patrons.

Greed’s attitude, on the other hand, was a mystery when it involved the Gaki. At times he seemed to be completely unaffected by the boy’s presence, going about his usual ways uninterrupted whenever Naruto charged into the bar. At other times, Dolcetto had seen the Boss stop what he was doing and have the Gaki join him, whether to talk or tease each other, it didn’t matter. The Gaki was always happy with the attention Greed showed him.

The few normal members of the gang had little to do with the brat, but that never seemed to bother Naruto. Instead he found company in the group of chimeras which were separated from the rest of the gang, preferring to stick with their own kind. In total, there were eleven chimeras, each one combined with a different animal and only a few of them had been soldiers.

Logan was the oldest of their group when not counting the Boss. The sixty-three year old was a former soldier injured in a battle against Aerugo and combined with a wolverine. He was the definite loner of their group that had a bit of temper and didn’t get along well with others. Despite this, the man never turned the Gaki away when the kid came to him.

Then there was Marcus and Danut. Marcus had been a doctor injured on the front lines and Danut was an Ishvalan scholar. The men had been combined with a turtle and bear respectively. Despite their cultural differences the two were best friends. Dolcetto assumed their friendship was born from sharing the same pain; both had been victims of the Ishvalan War. Marcus was in charge of stitching them back up when they got hurt, so naturally the Gaki had plenty of chances to get to know the man. Naruto’s surprising amount of knowledge concerning Ishvalan ethos had immediately earned him Danut’s interest. The two held numerous discussions about philosophies and principles that made Dolcetto’s head hurt just by listening to them.

Carlen was a former Cretain soldier that had been picked up after a skirmish in the West and was combined with a rooster of all things. As the most playful chimera of the group, Naruto had taken to the foreign man instantly and vice versa. The two were always planning some sort of prank and causing mischief. Samuel, a former sheep breeder, had been injured when the Ishvalan War had spread to the East. Ironically the man had been combined with a ram. Sam was the most normal of their group and had a weak spot when it came to Naruto. He admitted that the brat reminded him of his son who’d passed away young from the epidemic that had hit the country some years back.

Vaunt was the last chimera of their group and the one who had the least interaction with Naruto. The man was a former convict who’d been combined with a bat. Like Bido, he was an imperfect chimera. His face was left bat-like in appearance and his eyes were extremely sensitive to light. As a result, he had to constantly wear a mask with built in lenses. Considering the man’s past, Dolcetto found Vaunt to be a rather mellow man, but he didn’t seem to like kids much. He always seemed to wander off when Naruto joined them, but he’d seen the two speak with one another in passing.

Dolcetto himself, though he would never admit it openly, was very proud to be the boy’s teacher. The Gaki had truly improved his sword skills over the past two years, which he proved during their weekly spars. Naruto had mastered the basics and the more advanced katas, and now they were working on developing his own style of Kenjutsu. It was slow going, seeing as the kid constantly kept coming up with new ideas to try out, but it was invigorating just the same. Dolcetto was sure, that in a couple years’ time, Naruto would be a true challenge as a swordsman.

Not that the brat couldn’t kick his ass already, the Gaki’s other skills had also improved greatly in the past two years. He was extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat, claiming he was being taught by some lady whom he called Baa-chan.

The kid also trained with Martel and Roa. Along with knife throwing lessons, Martel had taught him how to dodge, which mainly consisted of her throwing knives at the Gaki while he ran for his life. While her style of fighting wasn’t possible for Naruto to learn, considering that she could extend her limbs, he’d become far more flexible under her tutelage. Not willing to be left out, Roa taught the Gaki his style of fighting as well, which basically trained Naruto’s resistance to pain and how to block it out when fighting. Roa was also rumored to have taught Naruto how to use a sledgehammer, but Dolcetto had never seen any proof about that particular skill.

Bido often took the boy out into the town, teaching him how to hide in the shadows and to not be seen. From what he’d heard from the lizard chimera last night, the kid was better at than him now. Dolcetto had scoffed when Bido had told him that the Gaki was now trying to teach himself how to climb up the sides of the buildings like the lizard chimera could. Supposedly the kid claimed it could be done by using his “chakra”, whatever the hell that was. He assumed it was some sort of Alchemy term.

Logan taught the kid to use some sort of Xingese weapon known as Nekode. They were triple-clawed blades that fit onto each hand over the knuckles, like brass knuckles. Dolcetto had seen Logan use them enough times to know he never wanted to be on their receiving end. The old soldier was also a master tracker, even before he’d been combined with an animal, and he often took the kid to the woods outside of Dublith to improve Naruto’s own tracking skills.

Ulchi had seemed to think that it was his duty to teach the boy all about the fairer sex. Unfortunately for him, the bouncer hadn’t taught the kid discretion. Martel had beaten the living daylights out of the crocodile chimera when she’d found them out, but not before reeducating the Gaki about how he should properly act towards women.

Greed taught Naruto about the finer things in life and there was nothing that Martel could do stop that from happening. More than a few times Dolcetto had caught a glimpse of the boy stumbling away from the Homunculus, his face burning red as he vehemently called the Boss a pervert. At other times, he’d seen the Gaki and Greed talking seriously about something, both their faces etched in deep thought. The Boss, did however, know better than to give the kid anymore alcohol after Martel had found out about it the first time.

He snickered at the memory of her chewing out the Boss, who had no idea how to react because none of them had even so much as raised their voice at the man before. God, she had been so pissed at finding a drunken Gaki. The kid had been very unpleasant to deal with the next day because of his hangover.

But the skill that Naruto had improved the most was definitely his Alchemy. It never ceased to amaze Dolcetto with the incredible things the Gaki was able to pull off. He could tell that the Boss was just as impressed and he sometimes caught the Homunculus staring at Naruto for a minute before grinning wildly to himself.

“Where is that kid anyways?” ‘ _Speak of the devil and he shall appear._ ’ Dolcetto thought humorously as he looked up at the Boss who’d just walked over to their group. Most of the guys shook their heads or shrugged their shoulders. While Naruto was known by everyone who came to the Devil’s Nest, he only hung out with the chimeras and Greed himself. Everyone just knew not to mess with the kid if they didn’t want to find themselves at the bottom of the Kauroy Lake.

“He’s shtill got twenty minutes till he’s due here, Bossh. Gaki’s train’n’ with tha’ hag.” Ulchi slurred before turning back to his empty mug and demanding another one, making some of the other men roar alike in response. Kio brought over two more pitchers, earning him a few hearty claps on the back from the happy drunks.

Dolcetto frowned at that. He’d heard a lot about the woman who taught Naruto Alchemy, everyone had. The Gaki seemed to worship her, always going on about how amazing she was. It got annoying after a while. He knew that Naruto lived with her, that he called her sensei too and that she’d given him a home, but it wasn’t like the Gaki couldn’t stay with them. Hell, the kid had a room on the top floor right between his and Martel’s. Naruto had slept there overnight plenty of times. Dolcetto took a deep swig from his glass, feeling jealousy towards a woman that he’d never met. ‘ _The kid’s happy with her._ ’ He said to himself, trying and failing to lift his suddenly bitter mood. ‘ _That’s what matters most, so stop getting so damn pissy every time you hear about that hag._ ’

“Tch, well he better hurry it up, it’s damn boring without the Gaki around here.” Greed grumbled before returning to his seat. If Dolcetto was a bit dumber or a little less sober, he would have made fun of the Boss for sulking and openly admitting that he missed the brat. Ulchi, however, was both stupid and drunk.

“Aw, you hear tha’ guysh? The Boss misshes his brat.” The wasted crocodile chimera teased and the others laughed. “Never pi’tured you play‘n’ the role of daddy!” Even with his dulled senses, Dolcetto could pick up the low growl Greed emitted and the slight smell of foxes coming from the entrance. “Who knew Greed the Avar’cious could be such’a softy!”

“Yeah right, I don’t give a damn about that whiney little bastard.” Boss growled back, forced to raise his voice in order to be heard over the laughter. Dolcetto spotted a mop of spikey blond hair by the bar. “I only put up with him because he could be useful to me someday!” The shout seemed to echo over the room, sounding more serious and furious than anything the dog chimera had heard from Greed in a long time. His gaze landed on Naruto’s face, the eleven year olds’ cerulean eyes wide and wet with the beginning of tears.

“ _Boss!_ ” Dolcetto yelled sharply over the din as a new conversation started, the previous ridicule forgotten by inebriated minds. The Boss looked over at him, annoyance radiating from his mild glare and he flicked his head towards the door. Greed’s eyes followed the motion, just catching a glimpse of orange as it ran out of the bar.

The Homunculus quickly returned his attention back to his drink, determined to enjoy the rest of his night. So what if the Gaki heard him? He’d meant every word of it. Unable to resist, Greed looked back over at Dolcetto five minutes later and was met with a hard glare as the swordsman nodded towards the door again. Greed briefly glowered at his bodyguard before ignoring him altogether, promising himself that he wouldn’t leave his couch for the rest of the night.

Ten minutes later Greed left the Devil’s Nest, grumbling about how the Gaki was pain in the ass as he began to search the streets for the youngest member of his gang.

* * *

Naruto ran blindly through the streets, bumping into the few people who were still out, and ignoring their irritated shouts as he put as much distance between himself and the Devil’s Nest as quickly as he could. He furiously brushed away the traitorous tears that escaped his eyes, calling himself an idiot as the Oyabun’s angry words echoed in his head.

He’d known the Homunculus hadn’t see him as a son, would never see him as a son. But he hadn’t thought that Oyabun was just using him, that the man didn’t even care!

His thoughts unexpectedly went back to his time in the Academy, remembering one of the first rules they were ever taught. " _No matter the situation, a shinobi must never show emotion. You must make the mission your top priority, and you must possess a heart that never shows tears._ " Naruto hadn’t understood that rule at the time. How can someone not show any emotions? He understood that the mission was important, but wasn’t he supposed act all brave and cool and strong? And why would he have been crying to begin with?

He understood it better now. Maybe it was because he was older or because of the Gate, but Naruto could clearly see why that rule was so important. Right now, Naruto desperately wished he could follow that rule.

He wished that he couldn’t feel this pain and that he’d stayed focused on getting back home, instead of becoming distracted with the fantasies of finding a family. He hadn’t thought about Konoha for a while. He’d become so caught up in his training and his new friends that he’d lost sight of his original goal, of his mission. He was trying to get back home, he wanted to see Jiji again and become the Hokage. What did it matter that he was only being used by Oyabun? He didn’t care about Greed and he certainly didn’t need him. He had Konoha!

Naruto let out a startled yelp as his foot slipped, sending his body tumbling to the ground in some random backstreet alleyway. He scrunched up his face in a futile attempt to hold back the sobs, but it seemed that small fall had broken his last restraints. He curled up into a miserable ball, his small frame shaking as he buried his face into arms. And started crying in a way that he hadn’t since he was six years old.

He couldn’t deny the emotional turmoil he was in, of how badly Oyabun’s betrayal had cut him. Naruto had never experienced this before, to care for someone so much and then find out they felt the exact opposite towards him. The villagers always made their hatred known and on some level, he’d accepted that they didn’t like him. And yet, to find that the same dislike also existed in Oyabun, hidden under a layer of fake kindness, was just too much for the young boy to bear.

“Gaki…?” Naruto stopped breathing for a second, recognizing that voice instantly and hoping that if he stayed silent, the man wouldn’t find him. A small hiccup broke through and he mentally cursed himself as he opened his eyes to see a blurry Oyabun crouch down in front of him. The man’s sunglasses were missing and Naruto found himself unable to meet Oyabun’s gaze, deathly afraid that he would find them cold and hateful. Just like _their_ eyes had been.

“Go away.” He sobbed as he buried his face back into his arms and brought his knees up to his chest.

“C’mon kid, stop crying.” Naruto flinched at the harsh tone, wanting nothing more than to be back in his apartment in Konoha. He could take the villagers cruelty, the bullying classmates, even the loneliness of his life. But he couldn’t handle finding out that everything had been a lie. Behind all that pain though, he could a dark anger beginning to build. The sorrow that came from finding out about Oyabun’s true feelings turned to rage. Naruto looked up at Greed through his bangs, eyes turning red as the tears continued to stream down his face.

He didn’t notice the way the Homunculus took a step back in surprise or how chakra began to pour out of his body in an unnatural blood red color. He didn’t notice how the searing heat from the chakra evaporated his tears or how his nails grew into claws. He didn’t notice the fangs that sharpened as he growled at the man, while the whisker marks on his face darkened.

What Naruto did notice was the way Greed was looking at him, seeing uncertainty and wariness bleed into the man’s amethyst eyes. All of a sudden, he wasn’t staring at Greed, but at the images of the fearful expressions that some of the villagers had given him. Most of the others glared at him in contempt, but there was always a shared an iciness underlining their eyes, an unforgiving look that blamed him for things he’d never understood. It was as if they held a grudge simply because he existed.

Naruto hated them for that.

“ **Don’t look at me like that! Stop acting like them.** ” Naruto growled furiously, unawares of how bestial his young voice now sounded. “ **I thought you were different!** ” He charged towards Greed, his clawed hand coming down in an arc that was aimed at the man’s throat. For a second, he thought he could hear a deep voice in the back of his head, mixed in with a dark laughter. Naruto tried to make out what the voice was saying, but he was finding it hard to focus on anything other than his anger.

Greed jumped back, bringing a hand up to the small trail of blood that trickled down his throat. He stared at Naruto in shock, unable to wrap his mind around the wild and evil aura that the boy was producing. He’d at first thought that the Gaki was entering a second form, like Roa and Danut could do, but the energy that was swirling off of Naruto was in no way similar to that of a chimera.

The closest thing he could compare the feeling to was that of Father’s, but even that wasn’t right. Somehow, this aura felt even worse. With Pops, Greed knew the man’s powers came from the countless souls that were harbored in his body. Naruto was just one soul, once source of power, but his energy was even more malicious than Father’s. ‘ _What the hell are you, kid?_ ’

The boy crouched down onto all fours; his crimson eyes piercing Greed in a way that made him feel like the Gaki didn’t recognize him at all. The red energy that Naruto had been emitting gathered above them in massive swirls and furious reds. They congealed, bubbled, and formed the head of a fox which let out a loud roar before shooting back into Naruto and disappearing from Greed’s sight.

The Gaki charged again, coming in faster than before. Greed activated his Ultimate Shield, the dark skin forming up to his elbows just in time to block Naruto’s strike. He moved to grab the enraged blond, but the Gaki jumped backwards and landed on the side of the building. Greed could only pause and stare in surprise as the boy remained stuck to the wall like Bido could. Naruto didn’t give him the chance to gape for very long though.

A fist caught Greed under his chin, launching him upwards and onto a roof. As he made impact, several bones broke from the force of the blow, and he knew no normal human would have survived that attack. His healing kicked in, the flash of red electricity coursing through his body, letting him know that his Philosopher Stone had just used up a life. Damn, he had only about 20 left now. Once healed, he brought out his Shield completely, the black carbonized shell covering his entire body and transfiguring his face. He looked towards Naruto, who had just arrived on the rooftop, and laughed.

“Well, well, isn’t this a surprise. What the hell is going on with you, Gaki?” He asked as he stared down at the feral boy. Naruto growled wordlessly in response and Greed had a sudden sense of dread as he studied the kid. “You’re not even in there anymore, are you? That power, whatever it is, it’s too much. It’s taking over your body and gaining control.” At saying that, Greed felt the souls in his Stone crying out in pain, hollering uncontrollably from their torturous existence. For the first time in his life, he felt a twinge of pity for the humans trapped in the Philosopher Stone. He couldn’t help but imagine the Gaki in a similar state, trapped in his own body and crying out in pain, unable to fight back as something else used him.

The very thought made him furious.

Naruto charged at him again, his mind seemingly only registering his new claws as his only weapon at the moment. Greed didn’t dodge, knowing his Ultimate Shield would block the attack, and instead wrapped the boy in a bear hug, pinning Naruto to his chest. He had to reach the Gaki before things got worse, before he lost the kid to whatever hell was inside of him.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean what I said back there. I’m Greed the Avaricious; I’m not supposed to give a damn about some kid! You’re loud and obnoxious, and you’re always causing some sort of trouble. You’re a brat, but you’re **_my_** brat!” He shouted at the boy while making sure not to squeeze him too hard.

For a second, as Greed stared down into those crimson eyes, noticing that the pupils were slits, just like his, he found himself staring at something that wasn’t Naruto. Something that wasn’t even human. He blinked and just like that, the dark power that had been consuming Naruto disappeared. Greed found himself staring into wide hopeful blue eyes, instead of vengeful red ones.

“Y-you mean it, Oyabun?” Naruto asked as he looked up at the Homunculus. He wasn’t sure how he got trapped in Oyabun’s grip, or why the man had unleashed his Ultimate Shield. The only thing he knew was what the man had said, his words being the only thing his hazy mind could latch onto. “B-but at the bar, y-you said–”

“I know, I only said it shut them up. I’m the Boss, right? I can’t afford to look like a softy in front of the guys.” Greed replied with a smirk as his deactivated his Ultimate Shield. Naruto gave him an unsure stare and he sighed, tightening his hold around the kid as he brought up a hand to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Look Gaki, your one of my henchmen. That means you’re my possession from now on until the day you die. You are **_mine_**.”

There was something dark linger in Oyabun’s tone, but Naruto couldn’t care less. He could see Greed’s eyes and there was no coldness, no hate and he remembered that Oyabun never lied in his entire life. He bit his lip, barely managing to keep the tears back as he buried his head into the man’s broad chest. Naruto relished the warmth and safety he felt from being held by the person who was the closest thing to a father he’d ever had. There’d been no admittance of affection in the Oyabun’s words, but they were exactly what the boy had needed to hear.

Greed, in his own odd way, valued him and that was what Naruto had always wanted.

* * *

Naruto wasn’t one for tears as he’d sworn off crying when he’d been seven. So naturally, when he had cried in the past, it was usually because of something really important, like now. He just couldn’t seem to push back the water that was beginning to collect in the corners of his eyes. He kept his head firmly turned away from the others, hoping they wouldn’t notice his totally uncool attitude.

“What’s the matter, Naruto? You’re not crying, are you?” Mason jeered from behind him and Naruto roughly shook his head, biting his lip to hold back his shaky breaths. “Hey it’s o-okay to c-cry you know.” Mason stuttered and Naruto peaked behind him to see Mason’s face scrunched up, eyes surprisingly wet.

“I’m not crying! That’s for losers.” Naruto denied before turning to look away from the others as the tears finally broke free and he sniffled pathetically. Baa-chan sighed while bringing up a hand to rub the back of her neck.

“You know, you don’t have to leave if you really don’t want to Naruto.” Izumi said before glaring at the small blond. “And tears are not for losers, giving up is.”

The just recently turned twelve year old nodded and she smiled warmly, before placing a hand on his shoulder. It amazed Izumi with how much he’d grown over the past three years. He’d been much too small when she’d first met him, even smaller than Ed had been. Fortunately the years of proper dieting seemed to have done him some good. He was still a little short for a twelve year old, but she held hope that his growth spurt would hit soon.

Izumi studied her youngest student’s face, smiling a little as she took in his tear streaked cheeks. He was finally ready to go out into the world and discover his own path. Unlike where she had gone to Briggs, Naruto would be going across the East Desert to Xing. He was leaving to investigate their style of Alchemy, which was called Alkahestry, and planned to spend six months in the foreign country. While Izumi had no doubt that Naruto would be able to take care of himself, she was still going to worry about him. That’s what mothers did after all.  

“I’ll be back before you know it Baa-chan, and I’ll have learned everything there is to know about Alkahestry, I promise!” Naruto grinned up at her, giving a thumbs up as he did so.

“Oh? That’s a pretty big goal, you sure you can do it?” She asked casually.

“Of course! Going back on my word would make me a liar and I never lie!” The blond mop of energy replied as he raised a fist into the air. Izumi smiled fondly at the boy that she’d come to think of as her own child. She had no idea when the boy had started saying it exactly, but she knew that he stuck by his personal rule to never tell a lie. It was rather endearing.

Unable to help herself, Izumi bent forwards and placed a hand under his chin, tilting his head upwards. His confused face greeted her as she lightly kissed his forehead, sending a silent prayer to whatever higher power out there, be it Truth or the Ishvalan god Naruto had told her about, to keep her youngest boy safe.

As she pulled back, Naruto stared up at her with wide eyes, his hand gently touching the spot where Baa-chan had kissed him. It was warm. It was also the first kiss he could every remember getting. Without a second’s hesitation he launched himself into Baa-chan, hugging her waist as he tried to staunch the new wave of tears that tugged at his eyes. It had taken him a little longer, but he’d finally figured it out.

If Oyabun was like a Tousan, then Baa-chan was like a Kaasan.

Naruto left the town of Dublith soon after that, his feet taking him to the town’s train station where he would then go to Central City. From there he would head to the most eastern town, Youswell, and make his way across the desert to reach Xing. He shifted the pack on his back, and adjusted the katana on his waist. He looked down at the black sheath, admiring the dark orange wrappings that covered the handle.

Koinu-sensei had given him the sword as a birthday present. Naruto had of course loved it instantly and had sworn to take very good care of it. Martel-nee-chan had personally made him a pair of daggers that were currently tucked into his backpack; they too had orange colored grips. Bido had somehow gotten him a dark orange hooded cloak that almost completely covered his body, save for his feet, and Yama-san had given him a black vest that looked exactly like Oyabun’s. The fur collar would take a little getting used to as it itched the back of his neck, but it was totally worth it in Naruto’s opinion.

Since yesterday had been his birthday, he’d had a small party with Baa-chan, Ookii-san, and Mason before sneaking out later that night to meet up with everyone at the Devil’s Nest. Even Oyabun had made an appearance, which was good because the Homunculus had been avoiding him ever since he’d told them about his plans to cross the desert the week before. Oyabun hadn’t gotten him a present, but Naruto had just been happy to see the man.

After the incident last year, he felt as if he’d grown even closer to the Homunculus. Oyabun didn’t really put anyone at arm’s length, but there was definitely a way about the man that kept people from getting too close, not that it had stopped him or any of the chimeras.

“Leaving without saying goodbye first, Gaki?” Naruto turned around sharply, recognizing that voice instantly.

“Oyabun!” The Homunculus smirked down at him, giving that sharp grin that Naruto had grown so fond of over the years. “You came!” He said before rushing over to the man who sat on a bench at the very edge of the station platform.

“You make it sound like you thought I wouldn’t.” Greed remarked lazily as he stood up to greet the boy. Naruto skidded to a stop, just short of almost hitting him, and gave the widest smile the Homunculus had ever seen. “Here, I got something for ya.”

Naruto caught what Oyabun had thrown to him and found that it was a strip of black fabric. He looked back up at the man in confusion before examining the gift more closely. The sash was made of a simple material and about several inches in length. As he turned it over, Naruto felt his breath catch somewhere in his chest. There was the mark of the Ouroboros stitched in red, matching the same tattoo on Oyabun’s left hand in design and color.

“You said once, that back in your village you’re people wore a symbol to show where their loyalties lied. I know it’s no leaf, but I figured–” Greed was cut off as something hard crashed into his stomach. He blinked and looked down to see Naruto wrapped around his waist.

“I’ll always wear it Oyabun, every day for the rest of my life. I promise.” The boy muttered as he squeezed the man tightly for a second before quickly letting go. He turned away so that Oyabun wouldn’t see his tears and tied the sash securely around is head, making sure the Ouroboros mark rested in the center. He turned back, eyes still a little wet, but with a grin plastered across his face, feeling like the happiest person in the world. “It’s just six months Oyabun. I’ll be back before you know it!”

* * *

**Omake #1: Naruto Pisses Greed Off (And Avoids A Serious Question) **

Naruto studied the Oyabun discreetly from where he sat next to Koinu-sensei, his eyes narrowed, showing that he was in deep thought as he ignored the rowdy atmosphere surrounding him. The man was, as usual, sitting on the expensive black leather couch that was designated as his alone. It looked surprisingly bigger than normal, but that may be because it didn’t have two or three woman on it. Oyabun usually had company. The Homunculus’ legs were propped up on the low table in front of him, nursing an almost empty shot glass in one hand as he leaned back in a relaxed slouch.

Unfortunately, his staring was noticed by the owner of the Devil’s Nest and shot him a sharp smirk before taking a swig of his drink, lazily gesturing for him to come over with his other hand. The nine year old had grown used to Oyabun’s silent summons over the past few weeks, but that didn’t mean he was going to be completely compliant either. He muttered curses under his breath and flipped off the nearest person who’d chuckled at him. The half-drunk bastard just laughed louder.

As he approached the Homunculus, Naruto once again fell into state of examining the man before him. Even though he knew otherwise, Oyabun looked perfectly human. Well, if one didn’t focus on his amethyst eyes or abnormally sharp teeth. He was tall and muscular, but not as overly large as Naruto had always imagined monsters to be.

He inwardly cringed at that thought as the bad memories resurfaced automatically. He’d always hated that word. Bakemono; more than a few of the villagers had sometimes called him that before chasing him away from their shops or families. Naruto silently promised to never use the word monster again when describing the Oyabun. Still the fact remained, Oyabun wasn’t human, but there were no visible horns, no open deformities. He looked normal, like everyone else.

Naruto knew what Oyabun looked like when his Ultimate Shield was in use. Koinu-sensei had accidentally let it slip a week ago and he had pestered the Homunculus to see his other form until the Oyabun had finally given in. Black colored skin with a blue tint that was impenetrable, two elongated fangs that jutted upwards, black replacing the sclera of his eyes making his purple pupils even more noticeable, and finally those odd red lines that decorated his face. Certainly that was the more appropriate form for something that wasn’t human.  

Yet as he stood in front of Oyabun, taking in the man’s short spikey dark hair, pointed face, black leather clothing, and pointed shoes, Naruto decided that despite what Oyabun could turn into, both forms suited the Homunculus. He couldn’t imagine the man as anything else and it made him smile a little as the Oyabun shouted for another drink. Realizing what he was doing, Naruto quickly frowned and hoped that no one had seen his little slipup.

Perhaps that was what was bothering Naruto the most, that he felt so comfortable with someone like Oyabun. Shouldn’t he have ran away the moment he’d found out he was talking to someone not human? Sure he’d been a little nervous at first, Oyabun could be really scary at time, but he’d been more awed and intrigued than afraid.

“What’s on your mind, Gaki?” Naruto growled in irritation. That stupid word had seemed to become his new name over the past few weeks. Everyone at the Devil’s Nest addressed him as either brat or gaki now, well except for Yama-san, Martel-nee-chan, and Bido. Nee-chan was the only one who called him by name, Yama-san called him Koishi-kun, and Bido addressed him as Mr. Naruto for whatever reason. He found it as funny as hell since Bido was the adult. But then again, he knew there were worst things to be called. At least they weren’t calling him dobe.

Or bakemono.

“Stop calling me that!” He shouted angrily and predictably Oyabun just smirked. “And what makes you think something’s on my mind?” He continued more quietly as he gave the man a guarded look.

“Please, you’re always thinking about something when you use your shifty eyes.” Oyabun answered and Naruto unconsciously narrowed his eyes while tilting his head in confusion.

“My... shifty eyes?”

“Yeah, that right there.” The Homunculus replied while pointing rudely at Naruto’s face. “Your eyes go all squinty whenever you’re confused, tired, or thinking about something.” The boy immediately frowned as he realized that the man was right. “Huh, now that I think about it, that expression makes you look sort of like a fox.” Naruto’s left eyebrow twitched violently. Oyabun was convinced that he was a fox chimera, no matter what he said otherwise.

“I told you I’m not a chimera, dumbass!” He growled back and Oyabun chuckled. “And my eyes are not shifty!” He added belatedly.

“Whatever you say, kid.” The man muttered, suddenly looking bored with their conversation. “Now stop avoiding the question. What’s bothering ya?” Though Oyabun’s sunglasses were still in place, Naruto had only seen them taken off a few times, he could tell that the Homunculus was staring at him intently and waiting for an answer. The problem was that he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say.

‘ _I’m wondering how a man like you, someone who isn’t even human, can be nicer to me than most people._ ’ Because even though he’d been away from Konoha for over three months now, Naruto can still remember the icy glares he’d received every day of his life. He recalled being kicked out of grocery stores and restaurants, always overcharged for the meager cups of instant ramen that had never been able to satisfy his hunger. He could recount the times when some older kids or a few of the villagers had beaten him up on more than one occasion. And he remembered crying in a hospital bed, covered in fresh bandages with only Jiji there to care and offer comfort. So naturally his thoughts kept turning back to two simple questions. ‘ _Why are you kind to me? How can you accept me so easily?_ ’

Naruto mentally shook his head, feeling oddly vulnerable and embarrassed at even having those thoughts. He definitely couldn’t tell Oyabun what was on his mind.

“Well? Spit it out brat. Wait, don’t tell me. You’ve decided that you want to be one of my henchmen. Sorry runt, but there’s a height limit.” Oyabun looked positively gleeful as he tilted his head downwards just to prove his point. “You have to be taller than me when I’m sitting down to be able to join.” Naruto, who sadly wasn’t even at eyelevel with the Homunculus in their respective positions, wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smirk off of the man’s face. He wasn’t short damn it! He was only nine, he would grow.

“Oh, I was just thinking about you’re Ultimate Shield.” He said instead while speaking in a casual manner. Oyabun gestured for him to continue and the boy hid an evil smirk. “The Shield covers your entire body, right?” The Homunculus nodded. “Well I was just making a list of the physical features that are lost when you change.”

“Huh? Why would you want to know something as pointless as that?” Naruto shrugged.

“It just seems as if your body gets rid of the parts of your anatomy that it doesn’t consider in need of protecting battle-wise. Like your ears and lips for instance, instead of encasing them in a carbonized skin, they’re reconfigured or completely left out to better suit your Ultimate Shield.”

“Yeah, what’s your point brat?” Oyabun questioned, sounding slightly annoyed as he brought the glass of alcohol up to his mouth. Naruto timed himself perfectly, waiting for the exact moment that Oyabun began to swallow before speaking.

“Does that mean you’re dick disappears too?” He asked innocently while giving the man a side glance. Oyabun’s reaction was instantaneous. He choked on his drink, eyes widening in something akin to horror, and Naruto only had a second’s head start before the Homunculus was on his feet and looking ready to kill.

For the next few hours Dolcetto and the rest of the bar watched in bemusement as Greed chased after a laughing Naruto, yelling profanities and death threats at the fleeing boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, an Omake! I’ve always wanted to do one of those. To be fair, I’m not sure if I’ll be doing many of these, this little extra was inspired on the fly after some browsing on the internet. Whether they’ll all be about Naruto’s time with Greed’s gang, or just focused solely on Naruto in general, is undecided at this point. I do plan to make them all humorous though, even if there was quite a bit of feels involved in this first Omake. (Omake means extra in English)
> 
> Yama means mountain and Koishi means pebble. I mean to Roa, if he’s the mountain, then Naruto would clearly be the pebble. Nekode means cat’s paw and it’s the closest Ninja weapon I could find to Wolverine’s claws. Dobe supposedly has several different meanings such as idiot, loser, and dead last. 
> 
> I threw a bunch of OCs in here, but to be fair, we did see a good number of other chimeras in the Devil’s Nest when the military attacked, all I did was expand on their characters a little. You guys probably noticed some similarities about Logan. Yeah, he’s essentially Wolverine from the Marvel comics and movies. I had a spark of inspiration to add him and just couldn’t resist, the rest of the characters are all mine though. 
> 
> Greed was especially hard to describe in this chapter. He views everyone as his possessions, or so he told Wrath in episode 14, so I tried to stick with that while also trying to show that Greed cares for Naruto more than he lets on. I don’t know if I did a good job with that or not. While Greed’s admission for caring about Naruto is less than stellar, you have to remember that Naruto was an attention starved child. Any confession of him being wanted by someone else would pretty much gain his loyalty instantly. Think of their relationship like that of Haku and Zabuza. 
> 
> –Hexalys


	4. Crossing Paths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I think it’s best to explain the timeline a little. Like in the canon, Ed and Al took one year of recovering before Ed became a State Alchemist. After that, about three more years passed before the episodes actually started. That’s four years in total, give or take a few months. Naruto has spent a total of three years and one month in Amestris so far, meaning that his six month stint in Xing will bring it to a total of three years and seven months.

Naruto climbed out of the train, groaning as he rubbed his sore backside. ‘ _Man, it felt like I was sitting on a rock!_ ’ He inwardly gripped, moaning over the fact that he’d only been on the train for a couple of hours. He still had another day and a half before he reached Central. Unfortunately, the next train wouldn’t be leaving for a few hours still. Deciding he didn’t want to wait at the station, Naruto instantly forgot his soreness as his eyes landed on Rush Valley and its’ active atmosphere.

“Sugoi!” The twelve year old cheered aloud as his bright eyes roamed over the tall buildings and crowded streets, feeling a heavy sense of nostalgia wash over him. Naruto inhaled deeply and let out a soft sigh while closing his eyes. For a second, he could almost imagine he was back in Konoha.

Dublith wasn’t a small city by any means. When compared to the other towns in Amestris, it stood somewhere in the middle ground population and size-wise. Naturally it had been a very different environment compared to Konoha and it had taken Naruto some time to get used to it. Here, with the bustle of people, he felt more in his element, more comfortable. Still, even Rush Valley’s populace couldn’t match the sheer vastness that Konoha had been.

“It wouldn’t hurt anything if I take in the sights for a bit before heading out.” He excitedly wandered through the maze of people with ease, occasionally stopping at different vendors to see all kinds of goods being sold. His money pouch, aptly named Kuro-chan for its dog-like shape and coloring, had been a birthday present from Ookii-san and it suddenly felt very heavy in his backpack. Pulling out the Kuro-chan, Naruto couldn’t help but grin a little in pride. He wasn’t one to brag, but Kuro-chan was a rather fat wallet. His savings from over the years had accumulated to a rather decent amount of funds, enough for him to live off of for the next few months if he spent it wisely.

“Automail, get your band new Automail! I’ve got screws and double balled wrist joints going for half price!” One man shouted to a small crowd of costumers and Naruto’s gaze landed on some of the metal limbs he spotted in the crowd.

He’d seen Automail once before, but that had been a few years ago and Baa-chan had promptly smacked him upside the head for staring. He couldn’t help it though. Back in Konoha, losing a limb was permanent. A ninja’s career would be finished with that kind of injury. How would they perform hand signs without an arm? Or fight without a leg? And truthfully Naruto found himself intrigued by Automail as it was something the Gate hadn’t taught him. He wondered if he could learn the mechanics behind creating the metal limbs, then he might be able to apply it once he returned to Konoha.

‘ _Assuming I figure out how to get back that is._ ’ Naruto was taken aback by that backhanded thought as he realized it didn’t fill him with as much despair as it should. Did he even want to go back? He quickly shook his head, as if physically trying to get rid of his silent questions from his mind entirely. Of course he wanted to go back, Konoha was his home and Jiji was waiting for him. ‘ _But he’s about the only one, isn’t he?_ ’ He seriously doubted that anyone else, besides maybe Ayame-nee-chan and Teuchi-ojii-san, had missed him.

His hand unconsciously touched the sash tied around his head, making him smile a little as he thought about Oyabun, Baa-chan, and the others. Even if he couldn’t get back, Naruto silently decided that being stuck in this world definitely wasn’t the worst thing that could happen.

Naruto moved over to the closest stall and found a few books for beginners covering Automail. Skimming through some pages, he found that he could follow some of the information, but there were plenty of terms he’d never heard of before. He haggled with the merchant for a bit, Oyabun always said to never pay full price for anything, and bought the three introduction books that had caught his eye. As he moved to put everything into his pack, someone suddenly bumped into him lightly.

“Oops, sorry about that.” A girl with tanned skin and dark brown hair apologized before quickly rejoining the crowd. Naruto brushed it off and returned to his packing only to find that Kuro-chan was missing. His head shot back up and his sights landed on the girl who winked and tossed Kuro-chan up into the air once before taking off down the street.

“Hey, stop that girl! She stole my money!” He shouted while pointing at the pickpocket, but no one made any move to stop here. With a growl, he grabbed his things and chased after her, using a burst chakra to jump up onto a nearby roof and scaring quite a few people in the process. “Get back here you thief!” She looked up at him in surprise before smirking as she dove into a nearby alleyway.

Naruto jumped down into the mouth of the alley and transmuted a wall at the other end of the alleyway to stop her advancement. She paused only for a second before moving up the sides of the buildings, jumping off of the opposing surfaces to reach the roofs. Another quick transmutation and the overhead space was blocked off as well. She dropped back to the ground in a crouched position, eyeing the only exit behind him warily.

“Give back my money and I won’t have to cut up your pretty face.” He said while taking up a ready stance and making a show of reaching for the hilt of his sword. Koinu-sensei had taught him that intimidation was one of the best tactics to use when trying to avoid a fight. Truthfully, he didn’t like fighting women, but Naruto wasn’t as opposed to the concept as Oyabun considering he trained with Baa-chan and Nee-chan on a daily basis.

“Oh please, as if a little kid like you could keep up with me? How old are you, ten?” She asked with a smirk while switching Kuro-chan from hand to hand. “You should just run home little boy.”

“I’m twelve!” He shouted back and she blinked in surprise. What the hell was wrong with these people? He was still growing dammit!

“Seriously, but you’re so short?” She taunted and Naruto gritted his teeth before clapping his hands and slamming them onto the ground. The stones of the opposing buildings shot outwards, wrapping themselves around the thief’s waist before she could dodge. She struggled fruitlessly as he approached her, grinning triumphantly as he took back Kuro-chan from her free hand. “Let me go you little punk!” Ignoring her completely, Naruto carefully counted out his money to make sure she hadn’t snuck out any bills just in case she’d been caught. Satisfied that everything was there, he stepped back and gave the girl a sharp glance.

“Why did you steal my money?” He asked seriously while looking up into her pinched face. He’d made sure the transmuted stones hold wasn’t too tight, but she wouldn’t be getting out of there anytime soon without anyone’s help. She glared at him for a long moment before stubbornly turning her head to the side as much as her position would allow. “Alright, what’s your name then?”

“Like I’m gonna tell you, shrimp!” She yelled angrily and Naruto, irritated, was half-tempted to just flip her off and walk away, that’s what Oyabun would have done at least. Well no, now that he actually thought about it, he was pretty sure the Homunculus would have flirted with her instead.

Looking at the girl’s frustrated face, Naruto sighed after a minute and transmuted the alleyway back to normal, leaving her held in place as he created a makeshift chair to sit on. He studied her appearance more closely seeing that she wasn’t dangerously thin, so she hadn’t robbed him to pay for food. He could remember the few times he’d tried his hand at thievery when he’d been desperate. He’d never managed to get away with it either.

“Well my name’s Naruto Uzumaki.” He said confidently while subconsciously touching his headband again. Despite the past few years, he still wasn’t very sure how to act around someone around his own age. He’d never really spent much time with the other kids in Dublith, preferring to train or hang out at the Devil’s Nest instead. She gave him a harsh look and Naruto held her stare, feeling as if she were silently measuring him. Just as he was beginning to feel restless, the girl huffed and sagged slightly in her restraints.

“Paninya.” He tilted his head confusion and she rolled her black eyes in exasperation. “My name is Paninya.”

“How old are you, Paninya-chan?” He guessed she was a few years old than him at the most. As he looked her over again, his gaze rested a little longer on her chest than was strictly necessary. Naruto quickly looked away to cover a blush and mentally cursed Oyabun for being such a pervert. “Sixteen?”

“I’m fourteen.” She growled, sounding angry, and he worried that she might’ve caught him eyeing her… assets. “You’ve got your stupid wallet back. Can you let me go now?”

“Not until you tell me why you tried to steal from me Paninya-chan.” His genial mood dropped suddenly and he glared at her. “Nobody steals from me.” Oyabun couldn’t stand having his things taken from him and Naruto had unfortunately picked up that personality quirk. Seeing that his dark tone had made Paninya-chan nervous, he shook his head and gave her a sharp smile that he’d also learned from Oyabun. “Then again, maybe I like seeing you tied up like this.” Naruto had seen the Homunculus pull this trick plenty of times when one of the ladies at the bar got mad at him. A blush bloomed across Paninya-chan’s face.

“I-Idiot!” She shouted in embarrassment and Naruto sniggered behind his hand. The insult didn’t even register in his mind. He’d heard and said far more creative things over the past few years. “I was trying to pay someone back, okay?” Paninya-chan continued and he sobered instantly at her serious tone before motioning for her to go on. She sighed but eventually told him about Dominic, an old Automail mechanic who’d taken her in after her parents had died in a train accident. He’d given her new legs, a home, and the chance at actually having a future. She simply wanted to pay him back for all that he’d done for her.

Naruto let her go soon after that, telling her to be more careful about whom she stole from next time, before continuing his exploration of Rush Valley. When she’d asked why he’d let her go, Naruto had found himself thinking about Jiji. He had never given the Hokage anything but grief as he’d gotten older, always acting out to get attention. He wished that he’d been wise enough at the time to realize how his antics had just made things harder on the old man.

“He’s lucky you know.” He’d said to Paninya-chan before parting ways. “Dominic is lucky to have someone who cares as much as you do.” Sadly, the blond found that he couldn’t say the same about himself. How Jiji had managed to put up with him for as long as he had was a mystery to Naruto, but he was determined to make it up to the Hokage once he got back home.

It also made him wonder if Baa-chan and Oyabun knew just how much he appreciated them. Sure he helped with the deliveries for the shop, but did that really show how grateful he was to Baa-chan for taking him into her home and making him her student? What about the others? Did Koinu-sensei realize just how much he had grown to love Kenjutsu? Did Martel-nee-chan know how much he appreciated his lessons in using daggers or the how glad he felt towards Yama-san for the comfort that the man had always provided?

“Yeah, I heard it from a pal of mine in Youswell. The Fullmetal Alchemist saved the whole town from some corrupt soldier. He even gave them the property deed so now the military won’t be able to tax their lands.” Naruto paused next to the two men as soon as he heard the words Fullmetal and Youswell. “I guess it’s true what they say, he really is a hero of the people.”

“Man, that Fullmetal is something else. I tell ya, the Elric brothers are the best thing to ever happen to the military.” The other man agreed before the two disappeared into a nearby shop, leaving Naruto to think over what he’d just heard.

He knew who the Elric brothers were of course. They were his sibling disciples and Izumi-sensei’s fist students. He’d never gotten the chance to meet them, but Baa-chan often said that he and the elder brother, Edward, were a lot alike. It made him excited to meet them, even if Ed had become a Dog of the Military. Naruto could still remember how pissed Baa-chan had been when she’d found that out. She’d turned to him right then and there, promising that if he ever joined the military she would feed him his own spine. He’d assured Baa-chan that he understood and promised to never become a State Alchemist.

Besides, after hearing about how everyone at the Devil’s Nest had become chimeras, he knew better than most just how corrupt the military was.

After stopping at a restaurant, Naruto spent the rest of his time window shopping before he boarded the train again. Fortunately this time he was taking the express line that headed all the way to Central so he wouldn’t have to switch trains again. The new train’s seats were just as uncomfortable as the last, but Naruto was able to distract himself by reading his new Automail books. A day and a half later, he finally arrived in Central City in a sour mood. His temper only worsened when he’d found out, that because of how late it was, the next train for Youswell wouldn’t depart until the next morning. Muttering to himself about finding a hotel, he started to trudged his way out of the station.

“Hey, somebody stop that guy!” A voice shouted and Naruto turned to see a masked man running in his direction, clutching a purse with one hand and a gun in the other.

“Looks like my day just got a whole better.” Naruto said with a grin as stepped into the man’s path. The masked man stopped just short of running into him, before aiming the gun in his direction. Naruto wrinkled his nose at the weapon. After a bad experience when he’d been nine, he found that he didn’t like guns.

“Off to bed with you, like a good little boy now.” The man threatened while waving the gun around a little. Unimpressed Naruto clapped his hands and slammed them onto the ground, transmuting a cage around the man. One of the rising bars hit his hand, causing him to drop the gun, which clattered to the ground and landed by Naruto’s feet. “What the hell?!”

“I think you’re the one who crawled out of the crib too early.” He mocked as he picked up the weapon, laughing a little as the masked man crumpled to his knees in disbelief.

“Hey!” The voice from early called again and Naruto turned to see a man dressed in blue, the standard uniform issued by the military, running towards them. The soldier was of average height and build with short spikey black hair that was mostly brushed back except for one long bang. “Nicely done.” The soldier said once he reached them, panting slightly. Upon closer inspection, Naruto saw that the man had an angular face with a trim beard, glasses, and hazel eyes. “Oh wait, you’re just a kid.” The soldier continued while blinking down at him in surprise.

“Oi! I’m not just a kid, I’m Naruto Uzumaki.” He shot back in an annoyed tone. Megane-san studied him for a second before smiling happily.

“Well Naruto, it’s nice to meet ya! I’m Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes.” The man started as he patted Naruto on the back vigorously, almost causing the tired and irritated boy to fall over. “And thanks for catching this guy! Heh, I’m afraid I’m not as young as I used to be. Roy would have never let me live it down if I lost a simple purse-snatcher!” Megane-san suddenly frowned. “Speaking of, what’s a boy your age doing out at this time of the night? Where are your parents?”

“Eh?” He replied dumbly, thrown off by Megane-san’s fast talking for a second before muttering an answer. “Um, I just arrived here from Rush Valley and I, uh, don’t have any parents.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Megane-san apologized sincerely before placing a hand on his chin in thought. “Rush Valley, huh? That’s a pretty big distance to travel on your own. You must be one tough kid, Naruto! Well I mean, clearly you are, what with taking down a criminal all on your own. Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?” Slowly, feeling a little unsure about what was going on, Naruto shook his head. “Well then…” Megane-san’s face suddenly darkened as his hand disappeared into the top of his uniform, quickly withdrawing whatever he’d been reaching for. Naruto stepped back in surprise as a picture of a woman and little girl was shoved in front of his face. “You have to come stay at my house then! My wife Gracia and daughter Elicia would love to have you!” Footsteps pounded from nearby and the confused boy turned to see two more breathless soldiers join the scene. “Oh great, there you guys are! You know, you really should exercise more if having to keep up with a common crook is too much for you to handle.” Megane-san chided them with a disapproving frown.

“But you were just as–” Naruto started to say before Megane-san threw his arms up in the air, cutting him off in a frantic manner.

“Ah! Allow me to make the introductions. Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, Sergeant Denny Brosh, this is Naruto Uzumaki.” He nodded in greetings to the two panting soldiers and they returned the gesture. The woman had black hair, black eyes, and a mole under left eye while the man had dark blond hair and blue eyes. “He caught the crook while you two lagged behind, huffing and puffing.” The two soldiers, clearly embarrassed, saluted and apologized while promising profusely that they would work harder. “Now Naruto, could you let the perpetrator go so that he can be properly arrested?” Clapping his hands and undoing the transmutation, Naruto was startled slightly at the reactions he got.

“Huh, he can transmute without a circle?! I thought only the Fullmetal Alchemist could do that?” Bosh stammered as he stared at the child in shock.

“Such skill! How can a boy his age have already accomplished so much?” Ross added just as incredulously while she handcuffed the culprit.

“Eh, my sensei can do it too. She taught the Fullmetal Alchemist before me.” Naruto explained while rubbing the back of his head and smiling sheepishly. The two soldiers looked amazed.

Hidden behind his glasses, Hughes’s keen eyes studied Naruto.

“I guess genius teachers make fore genius students.” Ross whispered to Brosh, who nodded in agreement. She turned and smiled at Naruto before bowing her head in gratitude. “Thank you for your assistance.” She then looked to Lt. Colonel Hughes. “Sir.” Hughes saluted them in dismissal and the two soldiers marched away with the depressed looking criminal in tow. Naruto, who’d watched them leave, was startled suddenly as Hughes clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Well Naruto, let’s get going.” Hughes said as he basically dragged the boy out of the station and onto the streets. “Boy are you in luck, I just remembered Gracia baked an apple pie this morning! She makes the best ones in all of Central! I’m not sure what we’re having for dinner, usually Gracia likes to surprise me, but I hope it’s her famous quiche. I’ve been craving that for a while now!”

In what passed as a blur that was filled with Megane-san’s chatter, Naruto soon found himself staring at the Hughes family, the man smiling proudly next to his wife while hugging his daughter.

“Naruto, this is my beautiful wife, Gracia and my little princess, Elicia.” Megane-san cooed happily and Naruto sweat-dropped a little at the man’s antics.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” He mumbled politely while bowing in greeting.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Naruto.” Gracia-san said while smiling warmly at him.

“Na-ru-to?” Elicia-chan said, struggling to pronounce his name. “Your name’s funny.” The toddler continued while pointing at him, making her parents chuckle as she pouted.

“Sorry Elicia-chan, you can call me whatever you want.” Naruto replied with a big grin and she studied him for a second before nodding. He was surprised when she reached up and suddenly began tugging on his hand.

“Big brother, play with me.” Feeling his heart instantly melt, he looked up at Megane-san with shining eyes. They shared an understanding nod before turning back to the little girl.

“She’s so cute!” They chorused at the same time and Gracia-san laughed as they gave each other a thumbs up.

The night he’d spent with the Hughes’s was one that he would never forget. Watching the family’s interaction had been like catching a glimpse of what his life might’ve been like if he’d had parents. Megane-san was an extremely doting father and caring husband. When he wasn’t making Elicia-chan laugh, he was sharing loving glances with Gracia-san. Naruto could only hope that his own Tousan had been just as devoted and playful.

He ended up laughing and choking on his slice of apple pie when he’d tried to imagine Oyabun acting the same way.

Gracia-san was everything that Nee-chan and Baa-chan weren’t. Where they were direct and firm, and sometimes more than a little violent, she was serene and gentle. She wasn’t a fighter, but there was a fierce protectiveness in her that was apparent as she kept an eye on Elicia-chan while they ate. Would his Kaasan have been like that, all graceful and kind? Or more like Baa-chan, full of tough love and with a bit of a temper?

Sadly the night couldn’t last forever. Naruto left early the next morning, saying goodbye to the Hughes’s and promising to visit again before leaving for the station. The train wasn’t a direct line to Youswell, so he had to stop at New Optain after two days and then it was another three before he finally reached the town closest to the Eastern Desert.

* * *

Naruto eagerly dashed off the train, glad he wouldn’t have to sit through such a long trip until he got back from Xing. Youswell wasn’t the cleanest or richest looking town. Compared to New Optain, which was a city that prided itself on its’ stunning architecture, Youswell looked more like a rundown slum than a town. Still, the air was fresher than Central and the bits of grime and worn buildings reminded him of the downtown part of Dublith where the Devil’s Nest was located. Closing his eyes, Naruto inhaled deeply, savoring his freedom from those evil trains, and was promptly hit upside the head with a shovel.

“Itai!” He shouted in pain as he crouched down and rubbed the back of his aching head.

“Oops, sorry about that.” A young voice said and he looked up to see a boy about his size smiling apologetically. The kid had short, light brown hair and green eyes with a bandage on his lower left cheek. “I didn’t see ya there. Hey, wait a sec, are you a tourist? Have ya eatin’? Where ya stayin’?” The boy asked quickly, a slight accent taking over his tone as he grew more excited with each question.

“Nowhere as of yet.” Naruto answered as he looked over at the horizon. The sun was already beginning to set, making him sigh in disappointment. ‘ _Looks like I’ll have to leave tomorrow._ ’

“Pop, we got a visitor!” The boy yelled while looking up at a nearby platform. A muscular man leaned over the edge, carrying long pipe on his shoulder and wearing a hard hat.

“What are you goin’ on about?”

“Over here, a piggy-bank!” The boy responded and Naruto felt his left eye twitch at the demeaning term. The man pulled off his hat, revealing hair that was the same color as the boy’s, his goatee twisting up a little as he smiled down at them.

“Well hey there, my name’s Halling. I run the local Inn and we’ll take good care of ya.” And for the second time in five days, Naruto was dragged off by a stranger to the only Inn in Youswell. “I know it’s not much, but that’ll change soon enough now that we don’t have to answer to that rat, Yoki.” Halling stated as the three of them stepped into the Inn. Naruto felt as if Halling was giving his Inn too little credit. True it wasn’t a large place, or filled with lavish furnishings, but there was a certain hominess to the place that made him feel welcomed.

Groups of men surrounded the tables; the large room was overcrowded and booming with laughter. Almost every calloused hand held a mug of beer, making it feel like more of a bar than an Inn. Naruto spotted an area designated for smoking and in the far left corner a game of cards was being played. It was cleaner than the Devil’s Nest and the people certainly looked a lot friendlier, but there was no dismissing the similarities between the two places.

While staying with the Hughes’s had been nice, Naruto couldn’t deny that he’d felt a little unsure of himself. The quaintness of their home and normal relations had been a very different dynamic from what he’d experienced with Baa-chan or Oyabun. The cheering drunken men that made up Halling’s Inn was definitely something he was much more familiar with.

“Come here and pull up a chair, I’ll tell ma to bring out a home cooked meal for ya.” Halling said as he led Naruto to one of the less crowded tables.

“How much are your rates?” He asked and the man smirked in response, looking as if he just remembered something funny.

“10,000 cenz, of course that includes the meal. We used to charge one hundred thousand for a room.” Naruto must have made a face because Halling burst into laughter. “Yeah, I know, I know, but we were desperate back then. Visitors don’t come much to Youswell ya see, so we had to milk those that did spend the night for all they were worth.”

“So why the change in pricing? Did you get more visitors recently?” A tray of food was set down in front of Naruto by Halling’s son, who’d earlier introduced himself as Khayal. 10,000 cenz wasn’t exactly cheap for a room and a meal, but it was fair price, all things considering. The fact that this Inn was the only one in Youswell didn’t really leave him with a lot of options.

“Something like that. I guess ya could really say that we had our eyes opened. A State Alchemist came through these parts a few years ago and saved the town. He gave us back our land and our lives.” Halling answered as he looked over the room fondly. “We owe Ed a lot.”

“You mean Edward Elric, right?” Naruto asked as he started to eat, recalling the conversation he’d overheard in Rush Valley. His meal consisted of a small loaf of bread, a glass of water, and a bowl of hot stew. “Mm, this is good!”

“I’ll tell the wife ya think so.” The man chuckled. “Yeah, Ed was the one who got us the deed to the town.”

“You sound like ya know him.” Khayal added and he nodded.

“Sort of, we have the same teacher. I haven’t gotten to meet him for myself yet, but I’m sure we’ll run into each other soon enough.”

“What are ya doing out here in Youswell anyways, kid?” A random miner asked.

“I’m going to cross the desert to visit Xing.” He answered cheerfully and chaos broke out.

“What!? All by yourself?”

“The desert’s a dangerous place, kid!”

“Do ya have enough provisions?”

“What do ya want to go to Xing for?”

Several more voices joined the ruckus and Halling whistled sharply to get the room under control.

“All right everyone, just calm down.” Naruto had no idea just how many people had been listening to their conversation, but it seemed like the whole bar had been paying attention. The Devil’s Nest was the exact opposite in those regards. There had always seemed to be an invisible line that had separated the bar’s customers and the Oyabun’s gang. If they had overheard something, the patrons were usually smart enough to keep their mouths shut and pretend they didn’t hear anything in the first place. “Dale is right kid, the desert is dangerous.”

“It’s okay Halling, I’ve got everything I need in my backpack.” Naruto started as he patted the orange bag resting at his feet. “Besides I’m an Alchemist. I can take care of myself.” He grew serious as he looked up into the man’s eyes, staring hard as Halling gave him an assessing look. The man nodded after a minute.

“Fine, but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask Naruto.” The evening continued from their in a more jovial manner and Naruto spent a few hours getting to know the people of Youswell before retiring for the night. The next day he left early with half of the town there to send him off and wish him a safe journey. He decided he really liked Youswell. And that had nothing to do with the fact that Halling’s had given him an extra loaf of bread free of charge.

After that, the days seemed to blend endlessly. The insufferable heat of the sun eventually gave way to near freezing temperatures at night. The orange cloak that Bido had given him turned out to be a life saver against the desert’s harshness. The first day in he’d been forced to stuff his vest into his backpack, the fur and black leather made him unbelievably sweaty. Whenever he was fortunate enough to run into an animal, snakes and lizards mostly, he ate them instead, preferring to save his rations for later. At one point, he had gotten lost in a sandstorm and completely thrown off course. As luck would have it though, he stumbled onto some ruins a day later.

Oyabun always did say he had the devil’s luck.

Naruto tugged his hood more securely over his head and moved to get a closer look at the relics that must’ve once been an impressive city. The sand ridden marbled pillars and broken statues were corroded until they were almost unrecognizable to what they’d once been. He paused in his exploration as he spotted the oddest mural on a partially demolished wall. It looked like an animal of some sort in the center of a pentagram that reminded him of a transmutation circle. Moving in to get a closer look, Naruto was snapped out of his reverie as something clattered off in the distance. He headed in the direction of the noise, eyes widening moments later as he spotted a well that was filled to the rim with water.

“Water, water, water, water!” He chanted happily as he rushed towards the well, but was suddenly forced to stop as he saw something flying towards his face. He sidestepped it easily. The slow moving projectile had nothing on his dodging lessons with Nee-chan and turned to see a group of people standing not too far away from him on an overhanging ridge.

They wore tattered clothes and had white hair with dark skin. Numerous red eyes glowered down at him and a person from the small mob threw something at Naruto. He caught it, seeing as it was only a rock, and glared back at the people, the scene bitterly reminding him of Konoha. This reaction was what he was more accustomed to, hateful eyes that blamed for horrible things that he could only imagine.

“Return to where you came from Amestrian!” A man, who seemed to be the leader of the group, ordered as he raised a thick stick overhead in a threatening manner.

“I’ll leave as soon as I get some water, Ishvalan.” The leader growled and the others whispered amongst themselves, visibly worried that their race had been identified so easily. Naruto bowed to them respectfully, the knowledge of Ishvalan customs rising up to the front of his mind. “I promise to take only what I need.” Predictably they watched him closely as he set his backpack down and brought out one of his canteens to take some water. He drank his fill before filling up his other three canteens Baa-chan had made him pack.

The uneasy atmosphere was broken as a crashing noise rang out from somewhere deeper in the ruins. The Ishvalans nervously shifted about, clearly not wanting to leave him unattended despite the urge to investigate. Then a voice, a little girl’s from the sound of it, started shouting for help and Naruto took the decision out of their hands. He ran towards where he could still hear the girl, ignoring the people chasing after him and their demands that he stop.

Naruto found the girl crying in a cloud of sand, coughing harshly as she tugged helplessly at a large broken stone pillar. She couldn’t have been any older than seven. She looked up at him, squinting through the kicked up debris, and rushed forwards, tugging on his arms wildly as she pulled him back towards the rubble.

“My big brother, he’s trapped under the rocks! Please, you have to get him out!” Before they could reach the pile of rocks the group of Ishvalans arrived, their makeshift weapons pointed in Naruto’s direction. At realizing the situation though, the group unanimously decided to ignore him for the moment. An older woman broke away from the crowd to tend to the sobbing girl, while some of the men rushed over to the fallen ruins.

“Abel, are you all right?” The leader shouted to the trapped boy. Everyone was silent as they waited for a reply.

“Y-yes.” A muffled voice replied from underneath the rubble. “But I can’t b-breath, uncle.” The men moved quickly, removing what broken stones they could and not making much progress. Naruto moved to help them, but the old lady with the little girl still in her arms, grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

“You should leave now while you have the chance young one.” She muttered lowly while running her hand through the girl’s hair in order to calm her down. “There is no need for an Amestrian to get involved in Ishvalan matters.” He frowned at her.

“It’s one of Ishvala’s teachings that those in need should be helped, no matter the discrepancies.” He recited in a hard tone. Ignoring the woman’s shocked face; he moved past the glowering group of Ishvalans. The few who weren’t helping swiftly moved away from Naruto. It brought a hollow pang to his chest that reminded him of darker days. Outwardly unmoved by their actions, he crouched to his knees and performed some simple Alchemy, transmuting the fallen stones into a small hut. The leader ran inside and came out seconds later with a boy a little older than the girl nestled in his arms.

The moment of relief lasted only a few seconds before the Ishvalans turned on him, weapons once again raised, and Naruto was prepared to flee should they attack. However, the old lady from stepped in front of the group, halting their advance as the little girl rushed over to hug his legs.

“Thank you mister, thank you so much for saving Abel!” The girl sobbed gratefully before rushing over to her brother, hugging him with all she had. The leader stared at him for a moment before nodding his head in thanks. Naruto smiled a little, bowing lowly with his hands fisted together, as was the custom in saying goodbye among Ishvalans, and returned to where he’d left his backpack.

He briefly checked over his supplies to make sure a straggler hadn’t stolen anything, before hiking his bag onto his back. Just as Naruto made to leave the ruins, which he later learned to be the remains of Xerxes, the city supposedly lost in one night, the old lady arrived, a little out of breath and offering a place for him to rest for the night. Hesitantly, he took her offer and followed the old lady, who introduced herself as Raluca, led the way. Her home turned out to be little more than a tarp thrown over some rocks and Naruto, as thanks for her generosity, gathered some materials and transmuted a real house for her.

In the end, he winded up staying with the Ishvalans for a week, fixing their homes and providing them with better supplies, such as tools and bandages. He’d even made an irrigation system that pulled up water from the ground to help them grow food. He repaired clothes, made scrolls to write on and created weapons for them to hunt with.

In that time, while most had still been unsure of his intentions, the refugees eventually welcomed him by the end of the week. Naruto had earned their trust with his actions and their acceptance with his extensive knowledge of their culture. When they asked him how he knew such things, he omitted telling them about the Gate and told them about Danut, recalling many of the conversations he’d shared with the Ishvalan scholar.

Before he left for Xing, which was estimated to be about a six day trek on foot, Iulia-chan, the little girl whose brother he’d helped save, gave him a rare desert flower before saying goodbye. Her uncle, Sandu, told him that he would always be welcomed among them and Naruto thanked the man, knowing how much it meant for them to have accepted him after all that had happened to their people. To show their gratitude they’d even given him a name in Old Ishvalan, Adevăr Văzător, which roughly meant “one who sees the truth” in Amestrian.

He had found the name uncomfortably ironic.

* * *

The second half hike through the Eastern Desert was just as trying as the first. Naruto couldn’t remember much of it, as nothing had differed from day to day, but he now harbored a special hatred for deserts and sand in general. The first sight of civilization had almost brought tears of joy to his eyes. The sun had set an hour ago and the lights coming from the town had been a beacon that urged him on even faster.

Smiling in relief, Naruto realized that he’d lucked out once again as he’d obviously arrived in a large city. The scenery itself was the first thing that caught his interest because it was so familiar looking. Lit paper lanterns of different colors hung from the shops and homes, signs and banners written in kanji greeted him instead of Amestrian letters, and the language the passing people spoke was Japanese. Yes, Naruto knew that it was called Xingese in this world, but it was still the same words. He couldn’t help but smile wildly to himself as he looked over the area with excitement.

It was like returning to Konoha.

But as much as he wanted to explore the rest of this town, to see what other similarities he could find, Naruto felt like he was going to collapse at any moment. His body ached for rest and his feet had definitely developed a few blisters since leaving the Xerxes ruins.

As he set off down a somewhat populated street searching for a place to sleep, he suddenly noticed that people were staring at him. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. He’d noticed that every person he’d seen so far had black hair and black eyes. Like the Ishvalans, the people of Xing seemed to have a distinct set of features that they all shared. His blond hair and blue eyes were bound to earn him some attention, everything about him screamed foreigner.

The problem was that they weren’t just staring. They were muttering to each other, they were pointing at him, and they were shielding their children behind them. They eyed him with fear, they walked out of his path, and they crowded next to each other as if to gain safety in numbers. Again he could understand their unease. He was a stranger and people naturally didn’t trust things that they didn’t understand. Danut had believed that it was this reaction that had been partially responsible for the Ishvalan Civil War.

When he’d paused to ask for directions to the nearest Inn, they did not relax as he spoke in Xingese. The couple he’d stopped had simply stared at him in trepidation. The woman had stood behind the man, tugging on the back of his shirt nervously. The man had stuttered while answering, his hand shaking as he pointed down the street. Naruto thanked them both, pretending not to notice how they flinched when he waved them goodbye.

While walking towards the Inn, more people stopped what they were doing to point and stare. A few of them didn’t seem to understand what the problem was until another would lean in and whisper something in their ear. They’d straighten instantly and look at the speaker in shock before turning to stare at him again, their eyes now filled with the same sort of wariness.

Not all the gazes directed at him were filled with fear though. Already Naruto could see the distrustful glances thrown his way, the way some men would tighten their fists as he passed by. How they glared, as if daring him to stop and turn to them. The number of hostile looks only seemed to increase as he continued on his way, spreading like a fire, and Naruto hurried into the Inn before anyone could work up the courage lash out. He knew from experience that it only took one person to act before the rest would follow his example.

The Innkeeper had stared at him in alarm, but once he’d set down a fistful of cenz on the counter, the man calmed a little. Just like Oyabun always said, money was power. He was sure he was overpriced by the man, but Naruto couldn’t really find it in himself to care as he closed the door to the room he’d rented. He sighed tiredly as his bag slumped to the floor and sluggishly pulled off his boots. He eyed the bed briefly before turning towards the window. Approaching it from the side, he discreetly looked out onto the street below, not at all surprised to find it teeming with the people he’d passed minutes ago.

As he collapsed on the bed, feeling worn in more ways than one, Naruto realized that perhaps this place resembled Konoha too much.

* * *

“Young Lord.” Said an old man dressed entirely in black and wearing a white mask while he kneeled behind a lean figure. The young male looked at the older man briefly before finishing off his last dango and began to chew idly on the wooden skewer.

“Ah, Fu, what seems to be the problem?” The Young Lord asked cheerfully from where he stood upon a balcony that over looked the main village of the Han Region, Tongling.

“As you requested, I investigated the rumor about the evil Chi that appeared on the boarder of the village early yesterday eve.” Fu replied as he bowed his head when the Young Lord partially turned to him.

“Oh? And was there any truth to be found?” The Lord asked as he lazily placed his elbows the balcony’s railing and gave his vassal a side glance.

“Indeed, there is a malicious aura in the area. It appears to be coming from a boy.” The Young Lord straightened at that bit of information, turning away from the city completely to give his full attention to Fu. “It seems he wandered into the village from the Eastern Desert.”

“What a poor time to have such an interesting visitor. No doubt the people will believe it is this evil Chi that has brought about the Emperor’s sudden decrease in health.” The Young Lord mused out loud, sounding more amused than anything else.

“It is too much of a coincidence to think otherwise.” Fu agreed before lowering his gaze in thought, his mustache twitching as he frowned. The action did not go unnoticed.

“What is it?” Fu hesitated for a second, which the Lord knew to be unusual for the stern man.

“It’s just… I went to see the source of this evil with my own eyes, Young Lord.” Fu sighed deeply as he remembered seeing the identity behind such a foul Chi. A small blonde haired boy, snoring loudly as drool pooled onto his pillow. Kicking occasionally at the bed sheets he’d been tangled up in, wearing white pajamas and the oddest looking sleeping cap Fu had ever seen. “He is young, my Lord, younger than yourself. The child did not even stir as I snuck into his room.”

“Hmm.” The Young Lord grew silent for a few minutes before smiling widely, firmly clicking the skewer in his mouth. “Now I’m interested in meeting this boy for myself.” Fu startled at that.

“I did not mean to make him seem harmless.” The servant argued, though apart of him already knew it was useless as he got the determined look in his Young Lord’s eyes. “He may indeed be the demon many of the villagers are claiming him to be!”

“A demon, huh?” The Young Lord looked back over Tongling and smiled again, though this grin came out as something much darker. “Tell me Fu, aren’t demons said to be immortal?”

* * *

  **Omake #2: Greed Gives Naruto Alcohol (And Discovers He’s A Sad Drunk) **

In hindsight, Greed really should have known that the Gaki’s past wasn’t an ideal childhood. There’d been enough clues to point this fact out, like the way the kid seemed to vibrate with happiness whenever someone’s attention turned to him. How the Gaki would occasionally get this awed look on his face, like he couldn’t believe he was actually there. Or of how the brat practically glowed whenever he was praised for doing something right.

While the Gaki talked about a “baa-chan” and “jiji” often enough, Greed had never heard the words “tousan” or “kaasan” leave the kid’s mouth. Then again orphans weren’t exactly rare in Amestris. Sensei, Ookii-san, Mason, so few names; Greed could count them all on one hand. And from what he understood, this Jiji was back in the brat’s old town so he hadn’t seen the guy for several months now. There were no friends mentioned. The fact that the Gaki had latched onto them so quickly and willingly should have sent a red flag up in his mind.

The town the kid was from, village the Gaki called, was spoken of sparingly. The people were talked about even less, but from what Greed had gathered they hadn’t been the most hospitable group to the brat. He could recall the kid admitting that they’d hated him, tears streaming down his face and voice much too bitter for a nine year old. At the time, he had simply taken it as a child making a childish exaggeration. Because seriously? The entire town unanimously disliked one little brat? Yeah, right. It might have seemed that way to the Gaki, but people were way too invested in their own lives to dedicate that sort of time and energy on a single kid. So really, he should’ve seen it coming that the brat, despite how he acted, hadn’t led the happiest of lives.

Then again, hindsight was usually blind when it came to greed.

The Homunculus sighed to himself, feeling unusually bored. The girls hadn’t been able to stop by because of the bad thunderstorm that had hit Dublith. Though it obviously wasn’t that bad, since the Gaki had arrived at the bar over an hour ago. The boss smirked as he thought about the different ways he could punish his girls for leaving him high and dry. His lecherous thoughts must have worked their way onto his face because the kid gave an annoyed huff from beside him.

“Oyabun, if you start thinking perverted things again, then I’m leaving.” The Gaki warned and Greed scoffed at that, knowing the brat wouldn’t actually follow through with his empty threat. “It’s creepy watching you smile at nothing.”

“Gaki, you don’t even know what perversion is.” It was the kid’s turn to scoff, before donning that sharp smile that had become an imitation of his own. The Homunculus’s eyes focused on the glass that sat in front of Naruto, irrationally offended at seeing something non-alcoholic in his bar. “What the hell are you drinking anyways?” The Gaki blinked, clearly thrown off by the abrupt change in topic.

“Um, milk? Nee-chan says I should drink a glass every day and I had juice this morning for breakfast.” The brat answered as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Gaki, real men don’t drink milk and especially not in a bar. It’s just disrespectful and lame.” He continued while glowering down at the half-empty glass. The kid paused at that, his eyes narrowing as he also looked down at the glass with a thoughtful look. “How about taking on a real drink?” Without a second thought Greed passed over his own glass, which was a nice heavy mixture of whiskey and rum, and placed the unpleasant glass of dairy on a nearby table.

“Yama-san said I’m not allowed to drink stuff like this.” The Gaki sniffed the amber liquid before his nose scrunched up in obvious dislike.

“Yeah, but I outrank Roa and I say it’s okay.” He countered as the kid stubbornly refused to even take a sip. “Just try it alright?” As if sensing that his patience was wearing thin, the Gaki took a large gulp and immediately started coughing. Greed’s laughter rang throughout the room. He even went so far as to hold his sides, feeling as if he were going to bust a gut as he watched the brat frantically wipe his tongue on one of his sleeves. It took a few minutes for him to calm down and by then the kid had retrieved his milk from the table, emptying it within seconds.

“That tasted horrible Oyabun!” The Gaki tried to yell, though his voice came out as a harsh whisper instead. The brat glared at him through wet eyes as Greed started to laugh again. He would cherish the memory of the kid’s reaction for the rest of his life. “Why do you drink that nasty stuff?”

“For the feeling I get afterwards.” He answered simply and the Gaki gave him that confused, squinty eyed look. “You can feel it, can’t you, an unusual warmness filling your stomach?” The kid nodded. “I like that sensation and the buzz that follows. It gives you the feeling that nothing in the world can take you down or ruin your mood.” He paused and gave the brat a considering look. “To be fair, that drink was a bit too strong to start you out on. How about we try something sweeter?”

Three drinks later, Greed found himself dealing with a something he’d never seen before, a sad Gaki. At first the drinks had indeed brightened the brat up, causing him to go into a light buzz as he yammered on about stuff that made no sense whatsoever. But by the time he finished his second drink, the Gaki had begun to grow quiet. At first he’d thought the kid was going to sleep, but when he’d looked up he saw worn blue eyes watching him intently. Not worn as in physically tired, but as emotionally exhausted and haunted. He’d never seen the kid look so wrung out before.

Now, nursing his fourth and mostly untouched glass, the Gaki was staring down at the table intently, donning an unusually subdued expression. Greed couldn’t help but frown as he watched the kid. He’d thought the brat would be one of those goofy, over the top, happy drunks that would’ve made for excellent blackmail material. He never would have guessed that the kid was a depressive drunk.

“They really did hate me, y’know?” The brat said quietly and Greed barely managed to hear him over the background noise of the bar. “But it wasn’t just hate, they were afraid of me too.”

“Who?” He indulged the kid while searching the bar for one of the others so that they could take the brat off of his hands.

“The villagers.” The Gaki sighed, his eyes becoming unfocused and looking at something Greed couldn’t see. “One night, I had stayed later at the playground than I should of, so it was already dark by the time I’d left. I bumped into a man while walking back home. He apologized at first, but when he saw that it was me, he smacked me hard enough to knock me onto the ground and make my left ear bleed. He kicked me in the stomach, called me worthless, and continued on his way. And even though it was late, there were still plenty of people on that street. No one came to help me as I struggled to stand up.”

Greed stared. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say to that. Sure the others had their sob stories, broken homes, lost loved ones, the military using them in experiments and turning them into chimeras. But no one had actually ever come up to him and said it to his face. Was he supposed to sympathize with the kid? Offer his condolences for having such a shitty childhood? Promise to kill the bastard who’d treated one of his possessions that way? ‘ _Dammit, where the hell is Martel when I need her?_ ’ Offering comfort clearly wasn't one of his area of expertise. And of course the brat wasn’t done talking.

“I think it was then, when I had looked around for help and saw only those cold glares that I’d realized… they hated me.” The Gaki’s eyes began to droop and his head slower lowered to the table. “It… definitely wasn’t the worst encounter I’d ever had… but I distinctly remember that night better… than most others.” He grimaced as the brat fell asleep and mentally swore to never let the kid drink again. As he took a sip of his own drink, he found that not even its’ heady warmth could cure the iciness that had curled up in the pit of his stomach at some point during the Gaki’s rant.

An hour later a furious Martel tended to the drunken brat, but not before threatening to castrate him should he ever give the kid alcohol again. He’d heal of course, but it was definitely not a scenario that he wanted to experience. Quickly agreeing, Greed never spoke of what Naruto had said that rainy night and the Gaki, once he’d recovered from his hangover, thankfully hadn’t been able to remember anything past his second glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sugoi means cool or wow. Megane means glasses; I felt like Hughes needed a nickname. Itai means ouch. Adevăr Văzător is Romanian for Truth Seer, but I paraphrased to make it mean one who sees the truth, because it just sounded better to me. I read somewhere that the Ishvalans were supposed to be a representation of Indian (not Native American) cultures. There are several languages used there, so I went with Romanian, the tongue of the gypsies.
> 
> Yay! Hughes made an appearance. This really was a new addition that came from the rewrite. Before I had Naruto leave from Rush Valley to get to Xing, which I found out was totally wrong while looking at a map of Amestris the other day. Seeing as Naruto needed to take a train to get Youswell, I decided to make him stop at Central and run into Hughes.
> 
> It takes 13 days to cross the desert by horse, 8 to reach Xerxes and 5 days from there to Xing. It takes a person (with some sort of training, military or otherwise) to cross the desert in 18 days by foot. Taking into account Naruto high reserves and chakra capabilities, it takes him a total of 15 days to cross the desert.
> 
> Naruto’s money pouch looks like Black Hayate and is aptly named Kuro-chan since kuro means black. If you’ll notice, there were some references to original Naruto and FMA moments. Like the scene where Naruto stops the purse-snatcher. And then there’s Naruto’s reaction to finding water, mimicking Ed’s reaction in the 2003 Anime when arriving in Liore. Kuro-chan is like Gama-chan, the frog wallet that Naruto had throughout the first few seasons. It’s the little things you have to pay attention to in this story.
> 
> –Hexalys


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